LISBON, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese Minister of Presidency and Administrative Modernization Mariana Vieira da Silva said on Wednesday that visa simplification and the teaching of Portuguese are the government's priorities for the integration of immigrants in the country.
"We have more and more immigrants coming, regularization work is essential," she said at the end of a conference in Lisbon to mark the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 40th anniversary of UNICEF in Portugal.
The minister said that by simplifying the regularization processes it will be possible to "more quickly" stop people from going through a long "transitional period" between arriving in the country and being regularized to "be able to enter normal channels".
"This work of visa simplification and Portuguese teaching are two fundamental conditions for the integration of immigrants and are our priorities," she said.
She said that "regulating migratory flows" was essential, adding that the measure is necessary for families and for the economic development of the country.
