In the first quarter of 2020, new requests for assistance with voluntary return and reintegration made to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) were in line with those of last year. However, the covid-19 pandemic triggered immigrants’ requests, especially in April and May.
According to data collected by the organization, cited by the newspaper Público this Thursday, July 2nd, in the first half of this year there were a total of 472 immigrants applying to return to their countries, which represents a growth of 32% compared to the same period last year.
The health crisis “ended up accentuating the economic and employment situation” of these people, which was already precarious. “Many are working in the informal sector and end up more quickly get into a difficult situation and ask for support. The pandemic has increased these situations “, points out Luís Carrasquinho, technical responsible for this program financed by the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (75%) and by the Portuguese Government (25%) through the Foreigners and Borders Service.
Representing around one in four regularized foreigners living in Portugal, with a total of 151,304 people, Brazilians are the ones who most resort to this program implemented in Portugal in 1997 and which has a budget of around one million euros in the biennium 2019-2020. In the first six months of this year, they were responsible for 93% of requests for help to return to Brazil.
With the designation of Support Program for Voluntary Return and Reintegration (ARVoRe VII), this instrument aims to ensure that migrants who need or want to voluntarily return can “do it in a dignified and safe way” and be supported to “achieve sustainable reintegration, in full respect of their human rights, regardless of their migratory status “.
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