Starting in November, AIMA will only accept Terms of Responsibility with notarized signatures. This measure will ensure that whoever signs the document will assume the costs if immigrants are expelled from the country.
The Agency for Migration, Integration and Asylum (AIMA) announced, this Monday, October 28, a change in the conditions of the Terms of Responsibility, in which people who live legally in Portugal assume responsibility for immigrants living in the country.
Starting November 4, these documents will only be accepted if they have the notarized signature of the person who signed them, which can be done through a notary (in a notary's office), a lawyer or a solicitor. Many businesspeople use these terms to hire foreigners.
In the announcement requiring notarization of the Terms of Responsibility, AIMA makes it clear that the citizen who signed the document is now responsible for everything that the immigrant under guardianship does during the period in which he or she is in Portugal. This includes assuming the costs of the foreigner's removal from the country, if necessary.
In other words, the person responsible for the immigrant will have to pay for the trip back to his/her country of origin and bear other costs if he/she does not obtain the residence permit, in addition to being jointly responsible if the ward breaks the law.
The Term of Responsibility was created by the Foreigners Law (Law 23/2007) and modified in June 2023, when it was foreseen that the document would be carried out according to the deliberation of the AIMA board of directors.
According to lawyer Vanessa Bueno, as far as we know, the Terms of Responsibility have always had their signatures recognized, even as a guarantee for those involved in the document. For her, AIMA, with its statement, wants to institutionalize the issue, which is natural.
She points out that these terms are often used for citizens of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), who can apply for visas at consulates to seek employment in Portugal. In these cases, the Term of Responsibility, which is an executive document, replaces the requirement that the foreigner prove that he or she has the financial means to support himself or herself in the country while seeking employment.
Vanessa also points out that many people don't know, but when you sign a Term of Responsibility, you are assuming costs in the event of the immigrant's death in Portuguese territory, whether for the burial or for the transfer of the body to the citizen's country of origin. "Therefore, you must always be aware of the responsibilities you have assumed," she states.
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