To support foreigners residing in Portugal, the country is providing access to permanent resident status through at least July 1. This provides migrants access to public services during the coronavirus outbreak. Government statistics show that more 500,000 immigrants resided in Portugal and more than 100,000 people were granted residency in 2019, the latest numbers available. Claudia Veloso, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, stated the simple humanity behind the decision: "People should not be deprived of their rights to health and public service just because their application has not yet been processed. In these exceptional times, the rights of migrants must be guaranteed," Reuters reports.
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