According to Farid Ahmed, a Bangladesh immigrant in Portugal, even though people “come from different backgrounds and have various motivations for visiting Portugal”, the difficulties in reuniting with their families are a common issue, that all of the immigrants are experiencing.

Usually, only a member of the family comes to the country initially, to try to find a way to navigate bureaucracy and find the best life conditions for their families. However, “since October 2022, the Portuguese immigration authority, SEF, has not announced any new appointments.”

Farid Ahmed told The Portugal News, that people are working under complicated conditions, such as facing high issues with work or living conditions, without having the opportunity to have the emotional support from family members. While mentioning Hussain bin Ismail, Farid Ahmed revealed that “he has been contacting SEF every day between breaks, but there has been no response.”

Not being answered by SEF is a common reality to all the people who shared their stories with Farid Ahmed, and there are currently “thousands of such immigrant stories from all other countries, and family reunion is the only answer.”

The Portugal News contacted SEF, who said that they have already, during 2023, made available “11 thousand vacancies for family reunification, which represents an increase of 11% when compared to 2022.”

After being questioned about the difficulties people are having with having their phone calls being attended, or emails answered, SEF stated, to The Portugal News, that “regarding the service capacity at the various branches, it should be noted that, from January to August this year, SEF provided more than 278 thousand vacancies.” SEF also adds that at the moment “there are 13,500 vacancies for the various types of residence permits and related services.”

Author

Deeply in love with music and with a guilty pleasure in criminal cases, Bruno G. Santos decided to study Journalism and Communication, hoping to combine both passions into writing. The journalist is also a passionate traveller who likes to write about other cultures and discover the various hidden gems from Portugal and the world. Press card: 8463. 

Bruno G. Santos