this member of the Government transmitted the favorable reception of such remarks, in the framework of the drafting of a new disciplinary regime of the PSP.(45) Nationality The steady and continuous trend towards a reduction in the number of complaints related to Portuguese nationality continued, albeit in a much more gentle way. With a 31% drop in 2015 compared to the previous year, in 2016 there was a further decrease of 13%. This decrease essentially affected the complaints about administrative delays and not on substantive grounds. The complaints coming from the former Portuguese State of India were scarce. The number of complaints concerning naturalization procedures remained relevant, with substantive situations being raised for the Ombudsman’s consideration, either in relation to the verification of the requirements laid down in the various typologies set out in article 6 of the Nationality Law, as well as to the dispensation cases mentioned there. Complaints filed in the interest of children born in Portugal were rare, and almost all were about the clause on the prevention of statelessness. In all these cases, this clause has been interpreted as requiring the objective impossibility of the child to acquire the nationality from either parent, thus disregarding the cases when only the unwillingness of the parents was the cause for the statelessness. Simple and informal contact was provided with the entities most frequently targeted: the Central Registry Office and the Lisbon Civil Registry Office. On nationality issues, there was a much lower need to inquire the Foreigner’s and Border Police (SEF), thus indicating an improvement in its operation, providing quicker answers to the civil registry services. Foreigner’s law The number of complaints decreased around 10% (191 in 2016 after a total of 211 in 2015), maintaining the proportion (3/4) between the complaints motivated by delays and those on substantive grounds. The trend observed in recent years is congruent with the general situation of country, in migratory terms, also in compliance with the several instruments provided by Law No. 23/2007 and its amendments. The exceptional acceptance of residence permit without previous issuance of a visa remains the most frequent mechanism dealt in complaints, both on formal and substantive grounds. As in previous years, there was a decline in complaints relating with visa issue by Portuguese consular services abroad. (45)  Complaints Q-7848/13 e Q-5842/14. 62 |