Portugal’s consul general is optimistic that more Portuguese citizens will be able to obtain residency permits for Macao – a process that has been virtually impossible of late, Journal Tribuna de Macau reports.
Alexandre Leitão, reiterated that the subject was currently being discussed by Lisbon and the local government. But he also insisted that the talks would be kept private, for now.
“[People who live in Macao] understand and know that when you want results, and believe that it is possible to achieve results, it is not a good idea to negotiate in the public square,” he said.
On a visit last week to attend the Global Tourism Economy Forum, Portugal’s tourism and commerce secretary, Nuno Fazenda, said making it easier for Portuguese citizens to obtain residency “deserved all attention.”
[See more: Residency permits for Portuguese nationals come under the spotlight]
According to Tribuna, he stressed that “Portuguese all over the world are always a community that makes a very important contribution to the territories where they [live] and especially also to Macao – in their contribution to the economy, to culture, to knowledge.”
Macao’s authorities have reportedly only been granting residency permits to Portuguese citizens with close relatives in the city or to those with prior connections to Macao.
While Macao’s immigration laws did contain special provisions for Portuguese citizens up until recently, they are not mentioned in a new law on talent recruitment that came into effect in July.
