Kathmandu, 21 Sep: Parbat’s Arjun Rokka was set to travel from Portugal to Nepal on Thursday. Rokka, who had entered Portugal via the UK, had secured 24 days of leave from work after four years to visit Nepal. His Turkish Airlines flight was scheduled for Thursday evening at 9:15 PM, but he suddenly canceled his trip. The reason was news he received that the Portuguese immigration department at Lisbon Airport had begun invalidating the Temporary Residence Certificates (TRC) of individuals who had entered Portugal from outside the Schengen area. Fearing that this problem, which affected 12 Asian citizens including some Nepalis, could also apply to him, he decided not to travel to Nepal.
False Rumors Blamed After Real Reason for Detainment Revealed
It emerged that the travelers stopped at the airport were allegedly involved in criminal activity, contradicting the initial rumor about immigration paperwork.
However, by Saturday morning, Rokka felt as if he had “fallen from a cliff” upon discovering the truth. The 12 individuals were not stopped for the widely publicized reason. Instead, they had been detained at Lisbon Airport on Tuesday and Wednesday on suspicion of being involved in some form of criminal activity. Those individuals had then falsely spread the rumor that they were stopped by immigration solely because they had arrived from outside the Schengen area, creating a major misunderstanding.
Arjun Rokka and many other Nepalis targeting the Dashain festival lost their hard-earned leave and money due to the widespread misinformation, with their travel plans thrown into disarray.
He says, “The money is gone, but the main problem is that I can only take long leave from work again after one year. I couldn’t utilize the leave I’ve taken now.”
Many Nepalis like Rokka, who were planning to go home after a long time for Dashain, fell victim to the confusing information. From Wednesday, when the rumor spread, until Saturday morning when the truth emerged, many Nepalis postponed their plans to go home. Many who had bought tickets specifically for the Dashain, Tihar, and Chhath festivals were forced to cancel them.
The number of immigrants in Portugal who obtained a Temporary Residence Certificate (TRC) without a Schengen visa is high. The rumor suggested that the TRCs of those without a Schengen visa were being invalidated at the airport, causing everyone preparing to travel to cancel their tickets.
The Unfolding Event: How a Panic Erupted from a Coincidence
The incident began when 12 individuals were stopped by police from a Wednesday morning flight. Their false explanations to a former tourism representative sparked a panic that spread like wildfire.
So, what actually happened?
On Wednesday, Portuguese immigration officials stopped some Asian citizens attempting to depart from Lisbon Airport. Police had detained 12 people from a 10:55 AM flight leaving Portugal.
Some of the detained Nepalis contacted Rameshraj Bastola, the former Tourism Ambassador of Nepal to Portugal. They falsely informed him that they were being stopped because, despite having a Portuguese TRC, they had entered without a Schengen visa, making their documents invalid. They claimed they could travel to Nepal but would not be allowed to return, and that their TRC was being nullified.
Bastola immediately took to social media, urging Nepalis to be cautious and requesting the Nepali Embassy to play a coordinating role. This news then spread like wildfire, causing waves not just among Nepalis but all immigrants in Portugal.
The Official Response and the Legal Context
The Nepali Embassy and NRN-Portugal sought official clarification, while the legal framework for obtaining a TRC remained unchanged.
A representative from the Non-Resident Nepali Association National Coordination Council (NRN-NCC) Portugal reached the airport. Deepa Kafle issued a press release confirming the incident, and the Nepali Embassy in Lisbon also emailed official Portuguese bodies to understand the matter.
By Thursday afternoon, First Secretary of the Embassy, Rambabu Nepal, informed Onlinekhabar that they were awaiting an official response from the immigration department. “We emailed the official bodies here to find out what happened as soon as we were informed of the incident,” Nepal said.
Portugal’s immigration law, active until a year and a half ago, allowed for TRCs after paying a set number of social security contributions. There was no legal provision for the TRCs obtained this way to be confiscated or nullified for the reasons claimed on Wednesday. However, a total of 18 people were detained by immigration officials at Lisbon Airport on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Uncomfortable Truth: Criminal Investigations, Not Immigration Policy
The former ambassador revealed the detained individuals provided false excuses out of shame. The real reasons for their detainment were linked to errors, criminal suspicions, and active arrest warrants.
In a conversation on Saturday evening, former Tourism Ambassador Rameshraj Bastola revealed that the Nepalis had given him incorrect information. “They felt ashamed after being stopped and sent back by immigration and tried to make a quick excuse, which ended up causing problems for many,” Bastola said. “They were not stopped or detained because they lacked a Schengen visa. Some had errors on their cards, while others were detained for alleged involvement in criminal activities.”
He elaborated on the specific cases:
Fake Documents Case: Three months prior, Portuguese police arrested several foreign nationals, including a government official, for producing fake documents. Three Nepalis are currently in Portuguese jail as main accused in this case, with others from South Asian nations still wanted. One individual from the wanted list of 60 was handed over to police by immigration while trying to depart on Wednesday morning. Police had provided immigration with a list of suspects.
Court Warrant: A man from a South Asian country was handed over to police due to an active court warrant related to a sexual violence case, for which he had repeatedly failed to appear.
Document Irregularity: One Nepali was advised not to travel because he had obtained his Portuguese TRC while also pursuing temporary residency in another Schengen country, creating a legal conflict.
Data Error: Another Nepali was stopped because the gender on her temporary residence permit was listed as male.
Missed Flight: One more Nepali simply missed his flight and had to return.
“How coincidental it was that the scrutiny happened on the same flight for all of them, and they all happened to be people who had come to Portugal without a Schengen visa between 2019 and 2022,” Bastola said. “When we understood the situation with a lawyer, all these realities came out.” He confirms that there is currently no problem for immigrants with a TRC to travel to and from Portugal.
