On June 17, 2025, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced plans to introduce significant restrictions on nationality laws during a government program debate in the Assembleia da República.

These proposed changes are part of the electoral program of the coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Centre Democratic Social (CDS), which appealed to conservative voters by promising tougher citizenship and immigration regulations.

The government plans to extend the residency requirement for naturalization from five years to potentially ten years, reflecting a demand for greater integration into Portuguese society.

Additionally, the government aims to broaden the circumstances under which nationality can be revoked, particularly for serious criminal behaviors.

New criteria will require applicants to demonstrate proficiency in Portuguese and a connection to Portuguese culture, civic habits, and social integration.

Amaro justified these stricter immigration policies by highlighting the difficulties faced by public services in processing family reunification requests, indicating that the current situation represents a practical suspension of such requests.

The government is contemplating restrictions on family reunification for immigrants, which had previously been supported by both the Portuguese Constitution and EU directives.

Leitão Amaro emphasized that the push for stricter citizenship rules originated from their electoral platform, suggesting that other parties were merely copying their initiative.

This situation reflects a challenging environment for immigrants in Portugal, who have contributed to the economy yet face rising nationalist sentiments.

Despite the potential increase in the residency requirement, Portugal may still remain an attractive option for citizenship due to accessible visa options and the allowance of dual citizenship.

Currently, there are long wait times exceeding 200 days for citizenship applications in Portuguese consulates, particularly affecting Brazilian applicants who make up a significant portion of demand.

An alternative suggestion to extending residency time is to raise language proficiency requirements, promoting deeper integration into Portuguese society.