The Secretary of State for Communities appreciates the visit to the United Kingdom

“People also appreciate diplomatic services. Today, a Vice President recognized the Ambassador in Manchester with a kind of appreciation diploma for the effort and work and dedication of the Manchester Embassy and his team,” Berta Nunes told Lusa.

On the third day of his visit to the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State traveled to Manchester, in the north of the UK, where he visited the embassy and contacted some members of the community.

“There may be a problem or some other situation, but it is not common. What is common is that at this time people are providing the service appropriate to their situation,” he defended in phone statements.

The minister reiterated plans to strengthen the consulates of the embassies in London and Manchester with more staff and the embassy service center operating in Lisbon, and centralized the service by phone and email.

“Problems have been identified,” said Berta Nunes, a spokesman for the Portuguese community in the United Kingdom and the impact of Brexit and the Covit-19 epidemic, and some “very vocal public perceptions of ill health”.

Delays in consultation with embassies, i.e. a source of complaints from many individuals for updating identity documents, can lead to appointments taking weeks or months.

“There is a great deal of anxiety, I do not see the idea that people can not attend. I do not find it, I do not see these situations,” he stressed.

As the UK loosens controls linked to the Govt-19 epidemic and the vaccination program moves forward, embassies are re-launching services such as embassy security in remote areas of the country.

Officials from the Manchester consulate are currently in Northern Ireland, with the London embassy planning to move to Jersey Island, where the secretary of state agrees to place a full-time person.

As for Scotland, the governor does not consider it a priority because he understands that most people already have the status of regulated housing in the United Kingdom.

“Considering the distances, we think it makes sense to strengthen the stay [consulares] soon. Considering the presence of the embassy, ​​there is still permanent representation, but this is not a very complicated situation, “said Bertha Nunes.

The Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities began a three-day visit to the United Kingdom on Tuesday, aimed primarily at assessing the situation of immigrants and contacting the community, which was most affected by the Covit-19 international outbreak.