Portugal gives Migratns residents right equal to the portuguese

Migrants in Portugal will be treated as  residents of portuguese until at least 1 July to ensure they have access to public services during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Applicants including asylum seekers need only provide evidence of an ongoing request to qualify - granting them access to the national health service, welfare benefits, bank accounts, and work and rental contracts.

Claudia Veloso, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, told “People should not be deprived of their rights to health and public service just because their application has not yet been processed,”  She said,“In these exceptional times, the rights of migrants must be guaranteed.”

The policy also aims to reduce contagion risk by minimizing contact between border control service staff and applicants, the statement said.