Azores want to continue being example in immigrant integration, stresses Paulo Estêvão - Communication

Secretaria Regional dos Assuntos Parlamentares e Comunidades

The Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, Paulo Estêvão, stressed today that the Region intends to continue being an "example" in the integration of immigrants, always in collaboration with entities, political forces and "civil society as a whole."

"We want to continue to be a society that welcomes others with kindness. A society that knows how to integrate, otherwise our communities abroad would not be a source of pride for all of us, a source of pride as all the countries where they work value and respect them. This is our standard of excellence," stressed the government official.

Paulo Estêvão spoke at the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores regarding a Socialist Draft Resolution, approved by a majority of members, on measures to support the integration, training and regularisation of immigrants in the Azores.

The Regional Secretary pointed out that immigration "is not a divisive issue" in the Azores and does not give rise to heated political debate, thanks to the efforts of successive Azorean governments and opposition parties, and the hospitable and altruistic nature of the Azorean people."

Paulo Estêvão also noted that immigrants represent less than 4% of the resident population in the Region, "far from the 15% they represent nationwide." Furthermore, he stated that "the Azoreans, one of the peoples with the highest migratory projection in the world, have, due to this historical experience, a greater sensitivity to migratory issues."

However, he acknowledged that "the challenges posed by immigration are very significant" in areas such as housing, employment, education and health.

"Decisions and the regulatory and legal context are largely the result of decisions made by national sovereign bodies. What we do and decide is always strongly conditioned by national choices in this area. But even so, we can do a lot, as long as this is our purpose," he stressed, praising the recommendations presented in parliamentary debate.

"This does not mean that the policies and actions outlined in the socialist initiative are not already being developed. In most cases, they are, and in many cases, they were already being implemented before 2020. In other cases, they are new ideas and practices that we want to integrate into our political action," defended the government official.

The Azoran Government “has been promoting, in collaboration with various entities, vocational training and Portuguese language courses,” an effort that will be stepped up, assured Paulo Estêvão. 

He continued: “We are going to sign an agreement with Madeira to share training capacities in both regions. We are going to increase the pay of instructors.”

Regarding the agreement signed between the Azorean Government and the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum - AIMA, which will enable RIAC offices to assist immigrants on all islands of the archipelago, the government official acknowledged some constraints in the process, but assured that progress would be made during the current year.

Protocols have been signed with the Association of Immigrants in the Azores-AIPA and Cresaçor for the submission of complex, rigorous processes in the area of document regularisation, within the scope of residence permit renewal. We will provide AIPA with a public space so that it can respond to the huge increase in the number of people seeking assistance. We are organising activities and projects from preschool to higher education to promote the integration of immigrants. We also organise an annual Migration Forum to foster a broad debate on the migration policies we are implementing," he continued, announcing that, from this year onwards, all parliamentary parties will be invited to follow the works of the Forum.

Moreover, the Guide to Hiring Foreign Citizens in the Azores was created, "which is now being updated to reflect recent legislative changes," while maintaining the basic premise of "supporting entrepreneurs and immigrants in the hiring process."

"In short, the Regional Government intends to continue making improvements in collaboration with immigrant associations, the Azorean Parliament and Azorean civil society as a whole in terms of immigration, with a view to preserving the Azores' exemplary status in this area," concluded the Regional Secretary.