When I mentioned this to my colleague from The Netherlands - he says India is a good bet. The situation in Europe is bad. The only two countries that are strong is Germany and 'The Netherlands'.
Portugal's economy is in dire straits and is being temporarily propped up by the EU. In the EU community the respect for Portugal & Spain is not ideal. India fares better. His comments about the recent bails outs - 'it will take generations to pay back 'The Netherlands' & Germany for loaning them the money' came true after one year. What was predicated by him about Ireland , Iceland & Greece all came true. At that time he also mentioned Portugal & Spain. So dear Goans do not throw your Indian Citizenship and abort Goa. Ashley D'Silva -----Original Message----- From: goanet-boun...@lists.goanet.org [mailto:goanet-boun...@lists.goanet.org] On Behalf Of armstrong augusto vaz Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2011 12:37 PM To: goa...@goanet.org Subject: [Goanet] Portuguese citizenship for Indians http://www.consuladoportugalgoa.com/initialpage1.php http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_nationality_law http://www.merinews.com/article/goans-explore-europe-through-portuguese-citi zenship/130316.shtml http://www.groundreport.com/Business/Learn-Portuguese-to-earn-a-passport/292 4172 Time is ticking by. The alarm bells are ringing. It may well turn out to be a false alarm but as of now no one knows and there is no official word on it till date. Will the special option accorded by the Portuguese government for residents hailing from Estado da India to become Portuguese citizens closed in the coming years. The chances are by and large that at some point of time, the Portuguese government may crack the whip and say enough is enough. So, there is mad rush to cross the finish line. Yes, hundreds of Indians from the Estado da India are making a bee line to get the Portuguese citizenship. "What that actually means is that those born in Goa before 1961 are still Portuguese citizens even today according to Portuguese law. However, since the birth records were left in Goa after the brutal invasion by the Indian army in December 1961, the Portuguese authorities are not aware of the existence of these Portuguese citizens in that part of the world. The fact remains that they are indeed Portuguese citizens according to Portuguese law and full Portuguese/European citizenship rights are available to them if they wish to avail of those rights. In order to avail of those rights, you need to register your birth in Portugal" Portugal is not granting Goans Portuguese citizenship. They are already Portuguese citizens by virtue of having been born in Estado da India Portuguesa or by virtue of being descendents of those born there. Goans born before 1961 do not become naturalised citizens of Portugal because they always were Portuguese citizens and retained their Portuguese citizenship after 1961, according to Portuguese law. Even if they only register their birth in Portugal today, that act of registration of their birth in Portugal today is backdated to their date of birth as they are and will always be Portuguese citizens of origin and not naturalised Portuguese citizens. Lisbon based Pedro Rodrigues, a Goan-origin advocate, who traces his roots to Moira village and who specializes in the Portuguese Citizenship says: "The chances are that they (Portugal) may close it down. So it is better to complete the formalities before the year end. Never be late and regret at a later date," said Rodrigues who was on a three-day tour to Qatar to help Goans in acquiring a Portuguese passport. Rodriguese said this was his first visit to Qatar and for that matter to the Middle East. And, he promised to come again to Doha if the need arose. The soft spoken attorney was in the Qatari capital at the invitation of Doha Goans Sports Club (DGSC) and also conducted an seminar for the benefit of Goans in Qatar. Mathew Estrocio, an executive committee member of DGSC was happy with the turn out. "Many Goans came to see him and they came well prepared having with documents which are necessary to start the process. Rodrigues, gave them a patient hearing and some of the interested individuals then had one-to-one discussion with the resource person from Portugal," Estrocio who hails from Carazalem. Call it a second wave of migration or by any other name. A large number of Goans are in the process of changing their citizenship, with an eye on a bright future in some European country- predominantly England. The first wave of migration started from Goa with our forefathers migrating to different lands through the sea route, lands as far as Africa. Some Goans made Kenya and other African regions their home. Some were accorded the right to have UK citizenship when trouble broke out in Uganda and all Indians were chased away by Idi Amin. The craze to acquire a Portuguese passport is not restricted to Goans based in Goa and other GCC countries. Goans based in Australia and Kenya are inquiring about the process and the documents required to acquire a passport. "I get calls and emails from different parts of the world," says Rodrigues. The task is not simple as done. But, certainly more hassle free and little paper work compared to getting a citizenship in other European countries. India does not support Dual citizenship and the moment you become a Portuguese citizen you have to surrender your Indian passport. Some of the new Portuguese citizens have now applied for Overseas Indian Citizen card (OCI) and are traveling to India. As an OCI card holder one cannot buy agricultural property but some issues over visa issues still persist. Rodrigues visit was supported and sponsored by Walter Dias Executive Director of Unique Choice Doha. Antonio Joao Vaz was instrumental in doing the ground work for Rodrigues visit to Qatat.
