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Lisbon, Sept 18: Panic gripped the Nepali community in Portugal on Wednesday after news spread that the government had started cancelling residence permits of Nepalis at the airport as they were flying home for Dashain.

According to the Non-Resident Nepali Association National Coordination Council (NRNA-NCC) Portugal, authorities at Lisbon airport stopped 12 migrants, including some Nepalis, from leaving the country and revoked their permits on the spot.

Immigration officials alleged that those affected had entered Portugal illegally without a Schengen visa and later obtained residence permits through irregular means. Authorities have reportedly started a process to nullify permits issued under such circumstances.

Deepa Kafle, president of one of the two NRN chapters in Portugal, confirmed that at least one Nepali was directly affected. The individual, who had entered from the UK in 2022 and secured a residence permit, was blocked at the airport while travelling to Nepal. His permit was declared invalid, leaving many other undocumented migrants worried about their own status.

Until mid-2023, migrants arriving in Portugal could regularize their status by starting paperwork and paying up to 12 months of taxes, after which they became eligible for a temporary residence permit. A large number of Nepalis had used this provision to obtain legal status.

The latest move has sparked fear among hundreds of Nepalis preparing to travel home for the festival season.

People’s News Monitoring Service