Sephardic descendants account for three-quarters of those applying for Portuguese nationality

More than 50,000 people who identify themselves as descendants of Sephardic Jews applied for Portuguese nationality in 2021, representing 72 percent of the total number of requests, pending the impact of the tightening of requirements applied this year.

Archive – A streetcar runs on a Lisbon street – RITA FRANCA / ZUMA PRESS / CONTACTOPHOTO

As of September 1, 2022, Portugal requires descendants of Sephardic Jews expelled in the 16th century to have some kind of effective link, such as being able to prove that they make regular visits or have patrimony in Portuguese territory, for example.

The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that 70,087 applications were submitted in 2021, of which 50,407 corresponded to Sephardim, according to the Lusa news agency. The authorities have acknowledged that at the end of August they reinforced the staff in anticipation that the requests would skyrocket before the entry into force of the new rules.

This way to obtain citizenship generated particular controversy after the oligarch Roman Abramovich was able to benefit from it. The police even arrested the rabbi who had certified the Jewish ancestry of this ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 

Fuente: msn.com