Over the past fifteen years Portugal has promoted several changes in the access of immigrants to family reunification that were interlinked with a significant progress in terms of integration policies. This report analyses the practice of the law, highlighting the hurdles and challenges that immigrants might face during the family reunification process in Portugal. The contact with immigrants, NGOs representatives, policymakers, lawyers and mediators helped to understand this reality. This study was developed between 2011 and 2013 for the project “Family reunification: a barrier or facilitator of integration?”, co-funded by the European Integration Fund, Directorate B: Immigration and Asylum Unit, DG Home Affairs, of the European Commission.

The human and political problems presented by refugees and asylum are acute and are not improving. This is reflected in international concern and the existence of a treaty framework. The emergent body of refugee law is an amalgam of international, regional and national rules and procedures. But it is national law and practice, particularly with regard to immigration, which in reality determines an individual's right to asylum. The key to a true appreciation and understanding of the plight of refugees and the extent of their current rights therefore lies in national law and practice.

Nationality and citizenship have been subjects of stormy policy debates in many EU countries in recent years. Concerns over the integration of immigrants, but also attempts to forge links with emigrants, have led to changes in the laws regulating loss and acquisition of nationality and citizenship. This title outlines the research conducted by a team of 30 researchers into the nationality laws and their implementation in 15 EU member states. Acquisition and Loss of Nationality - Volume 1 presents the results of a systematic comparative analysis. It uses a novel methodology that permits a detailed comparison how nationality can be acquired or lost across all 15 countries. The results show divergent trends towards liberalization in some countries and new restrictions of access to nationality in others. The book examines the impact of international and European law, presents statistical data on naturalization and assesses administrative practices. Although the European Union has no formal competence in regulating nationality, the nationality laws of member states are linked to each other via the common citizenship of the Union. Member States should therefore agree on common norms for their nationality laws. The book contains detailed policy recommendations based on the idea that stakeholders in the political community should be given access to nationality. Studies of each country's nationality law are published separately in "http://www.aup.nl/do.php?a=show_visitor_book & isbn=9789053569214" & gt; Volume 2. Additional material including detailed statistics and further comparative analyses of legal regulations of nationality is available at "http://www.imiscoe.org" & gt;www.imiscoe.org. Volume 1 & amp; 2 are also available as a set, "http://www.aup.nl/do.php?a=show_visitor_book & amp;isbn=9789053569498 & amp;l=2" & gt;click here for more information. This is the most comprehensive comparative study of the legal status of nationality so far and it will become an indispensable source of reference for further research. For more information see: "http://www.imiscoe.org/natac/" & gt;http://www.imiscoe.org/natac.

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this monograph on the rules on immigration and right of residence of non-nationals in Portugal examines the legal and administrative conditions for persons not having the citizenship of a State to enter the country and to stay and reside there. It provides a survey of the subject that is both usefully brief and sufficiently detailed to answer most questions likely to arise in any pertinent legal setting. It follows the common structure of all monographs appearing in the International Encyclopaedia for Migration Law, thus allowing easy comparison between the country studies. As migration and economic activities are often interlinked, the analysis pays particular attention to labour market access and regulation of self-employed activities for non-nationals. The book describes the status of such specific categories of persons as students, researchers, temporary workers, and asylum seekers, as well as the position of family members, detailing applicable legislation and providing practical information on administrative procedures, sanctions, and legal remedies and guarantees. The impact of international human rights law and various bilateral and multilateral agreements is considered, along with the broader application of national and local law to non-citizens in such areas as family relations, labour, social security, and education. Lawyers, scholars, practitioners, policymakers, government administrations, and non governmental organizations involved in the development, practice and study of migration law will find this book indispensable. It will be welcomed by lawyers representing parties with interests in Portugal and immigration specialists in both public and private organizations. Academics and researchers also will appreciate its value in the study of comparative trends and harmonization initiatives affecting migrants.

What positive impact has the European Convention on Human Rights had upon states parties to the Convention? The examples presented in this publication show that the effects of the Convention and its case law extend to all areas of life. They include, but are not limited to, individuals’ access to justice, the prohibition of discrimination, property rights, family law issues such as custody rights, the prevention and punishment of acts of torture, the protection of victims of domestic violence, the privacy of individuals in their correspondence and sexual relations, and the protection of religious freedoms and freedoms of expression and association. This publication contains selected examples from all 47 states parties to the Convention that illustrate how the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms has been strengthened at the domestic level thanks to the Convention and the Strasbourg Court’s case law.

The family lives of immigrants and ethnic minority populations have become central to arguments about the right and wrong ways of living in multicultural societies. While the characteristic cultural practices of such families have long been scrutinized by the media and policy makers, these groups themselves are beginning to reflect on how to manage their family relationships. Exploring case studies from Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Australia, The Family in Question explores how those in public policy often dangerously reflect the popular imagination, rather than recognizing the complex changes taking place within the global immigrant community. In hoeverre allochtonen vrij zijn hun cultuur te uiten in de multiculturele samenleving staat bijna dagelijks ter discussie in de media en politiek. Vaak wordt vergeten dat ook migrantenfamilies zelf worstelen om hun tradities en gebruiken vorm te geven in een pluriforme samenleving waarin relaties met familie zeer complex kunnen zijn. In The Family Question worden migrantenfamilies in onder andere Nederland, Oostenrijk en Noorwegen onderzocht. Hieruit blijkt dat spelers op het vlak van beleidsvorming vaak toegeven aan populaire misverstanden over allochtonen en zo bijdragen aan de heersende xenofobie en stereotypering van immigranten.

What is required to achieve civic integration and citizenship in nation states across the world? Should language testing be a part of it? This book addresses the urgent need to develop a fuller conceptual and theoretical basis for language testing than is currently available, to enable widespread discussion of this theme and the concomitant linguistic and cultural requirements. The policy proposals for civic integration have so far been conducted almost entirely at a national level, and with little regard for the experiences of a countries with long traditions of migration, such as the USA, Canada, the UK or Australia. At the same time, EU enlargment and the ongoing rise in the rate of migration into and across Europe suggest that these issues will continue to grow in importance. This book raises the level of discussion to take account of international developments and to promote a more coherent and soundly based debate. It will appeal to researchers and academics working in sociolinguistics and language education, as well as those working on language policy.

Family reunification is one of the major sources of immigration in most European states. This study does not examine admission policy with regard to family members. It focuses on the status granted once they have arrived. This study describes, analyses and compares national immigration rules and practices. It also includes a brief description of the main European provisions on the rights of admitted family members.