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.

A practical guide to assist legislators and legal practitioners in facilitating the reunification of refugee and migrant children with their families As a result of the sharp increase in the refugee and migrant population in recent years, many children and their families have experienced family separation. Member states are bound by various obligations related to family reunification, and the practical reunification of refugee and migrant children with their family members has proved complex. This handbook is a practical guide both to key legal standards and to promising practices in the field of family reunification and restoring family links. This publication is conceived as a point of reference for capacity-building material, technical assistance, co-operation projects and new practices for and with relevant authorities and institutions. It focuses on the reunification of families with children in the context of international migration, and in particular on reunification possibilities for unaccompanied and separated refugee and migrant children. It presents an overview of legal principles of human rights, children’s rights, refugee law and EU law relevant to family reunification and then discusses key features of family reunification procedures, with promising examples of law and practice and relevant applicable standards. The handbook contributes to achieving the objectives of the Action Plan on Protecting Refugee and Migrant Children in Europe (2017-2019).

The Routledge Handbook of the Politics of Migration in Europe provides a rigorous and critical examination of what is exceptional about the European politics of migration and the study of it. Crucially, this book goes beyond the study of the politics of migration in the handful of Western European countries to showcase a European approach to the study of migration politics, inclusive of tendencies in all geographical parts of Europe (including Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans, Turkey) and of influences of the European Union (EU) on countries in Europe and beyond. Each expert chapter reviews the state of the art field of studies on a given topic or question in Europe as a continent while highlighting any dimensions in scholarly debates that are uniquely European. Thematically organised, it permits analytically fruitful comparisons across various geographical entities within Europe and broadens the focus on European immigration politics and policies beyond the traditional limitations of Western European, immigrant-receiving societies. The Routledge Handbook of the Politics of Migration in Europe will be essential reading and an authoritative reference for scholars, students, researchers and practitioners involved in, and actively concerned about, research on migration, and European and EU Politics.

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.

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.

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.