LISBON, April 7 (IANS) The Portuguese Cabinet has approved the creation of the Agency for Minorities, Migration and Asylum, which will replace the Department of Aliens and Borders (SEF) and the High Commission for Migration.
The agency will integrate the SEF structure with 680 employees, and the renewal of residence permits for foreigners in Portugal will be handled by the Institute of Records and Notaries, according to an official announcement by the Minister of the Presidency, Mariana Vieira da Silva.
Ana Catarina Mendes, Minister in the Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs, said at the press conference after the Council meeting that the new agency will integrate the High Commission for Migration to respond to the challenges of integration and integration of immigrants in Portugal. Xinhua News Agency reports.
On the other hand, Minister of Internal Administration Jose Luis Carneiro said that this restructuring will ensure safer national borders and combat illegal immigration and human trafficking.
While SEF agents called off a previously organized strike on 7 April, the Confederation of Foreigners and Border Service Workers, which integrates employees with non-conditional jobs, staged a two-day strike to protest their merger into other Portuguese government bodies.
– Jans
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