Portugal's New Immigration Law: Parliament Approves the Changes

What's new with family reunification?

The rules for bringing family members to Portugal have been tightened. A new two-year waiting period is now in effect for legal residents wishing to apply for family reunification.

However, there are some critical exceptions:

• The two-year wait does not apply to requests for the reunification of minor children or dependent children with disabilities.
• Longer marriages can apply after one year of legal residency in Portugal.

Who can get a Job Seeker visa?

The popular Job Seeker Visa, which previously allowed individuals to come to Portugal to look for work, has been significantly restricted.

Under the new law, this visa is now exclusively available to highly qualified professionals with specific technical skills.

The previous, more accessible version of the visa for general job hunting is no longer available. This change is designed to attract a specific profile of worker to the country.

How are CPLP citizens affected?

A major change impacts citizens from the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), aka Brazil, Cabo Verde, and Angola, among others. The pathway that allowed CPLP nationals to enter Portugal as tourists and subsequently apply for a residence permit from within the country has been closed.

Effective after president's approval, CPLP citizens must secure a proper consular visa, such as a work or study visa, from a Portuguese consulate in their home country before traveling to Portugal.

Why is Portugal implementing these changes?

The new measures are the cornerstone of the government's new Action Plan for Migration. According to government officials, the goal is to better manage immigration flows, ensure the sustainable integration of immigrants, and combat abuses of the previous system.

These changes come after months of debate about the country's capacity to absorb a record number of immigrants and pressure to reform a system that had become overwhelmed. The government aims to resolve outstanding backlogs and create what it calls a more "regulated and realistic" immigration framework.

What are the next steps?

These measures are still up to the president's approval; however, after a setback in July, where measures were considered unconstitutional, followed by a reformulation of propositions, the current rulings are expected to be received.

The far-right party proponent for this measure also requested restrictions on immigrants' access to social security subsidies; however, this is still up to discussion in a later date.