The new system aims to accommodate immigrants who are already on Portuguese territory and are waiting in line to be able to legalize their situation
Frank Nurnberger
A new residence permit model came into force Portugal for immigrants from the community of Portuguesespeaking countries. The new automatic residence system aims to accommodate immigrants who are already on Portuguese territory and are queuing to legalize their situation. In conversation with Young Pan News, FMU international law specialist Manuel Furriela explained the news: “A contingent is being held for analysis. So there is an overload of the Portuguese services for analyzing immigrant documents. The measure currently aims to remove this burden until Portugal reformulates its immigration policy. These are the certainties we have to reach out to those who come from Portuguesespeaking countries such as Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, GuineaBissau and East Timor, who are already on Portuguese territory and who have already made a previous application for residency.” . The new law grants a oneyear residency permit, allowing immigrants to legally work, enroll in courses or rent a property without a residency visa. A fee of 15 euros (approx. R$ 83) is charged for issuing the certificate. The document is valid for one year and must then be renewed.
The profile of Brazilians going to Portugal has changed and no longer consists mainly of people without higher education who were looking for jobs with unskilled labour. According to Furriela, people with higher incomes are migrating to the countryside: “There are a number of advantages for this social class. Most foreigners are Brazilians who wanted to live in Miami, for example, and found an alternative in Portugal. It is an audience with greater purchasing power. Including the ease of transportation. For example, in a few hours you can get from Lisbon to a major Brazilian capital. There are a number of benefits seen by this social group. There’s still interest in going there, but it’s coming from a social profile with greater spending power, who are looking for a better quality of life than some other type of perk, like working there.”
Portugal’s economy is one of expansion and growth, and immigration policy is part of this process. However, the international law specialist stressed that there are legal issues that need to be resolved by the Portuguese government: “We are waiting for an adjustment of the Portuguese immigration legislation, which should be done by the end of this month, in order to bring more clarity to these recent problems Changes and above all the restructuring of the country in order to have a migration policy that suits its demographic interests and the lack of labor”. According to the National Statistics Institute, Portugal’s GDP grew by 6.7% last year, the highest increase in the last 35 years. For 2023, the Bank of Portugal expects growth of 1.5%.
*With information from reporter Victor Moraes