Parliament of Portugal approves work visas that benefit Brazilians

The Parliament of Portugal approved this Thursday afternoon (21) a package of measures that expand and facilitate the granting of work visas to citizens of CPLP countries (Communities of Portuguese-Speaking Countries), which includes Brazil.

For Brazilians, the main change is the creation of a special visa for job seekers. The permit guarantees a period of 120 days, extendable for another 60 days, for foreigners to be hired.

If immigrants do not find a job within the established period, they are forced to leave the country and can only apply for a new one after one year from the expiry of the previous visa.

In addition to the criminal background check, it will be necessary to prove means of subsistence in Portugal — values ​​will be defined in a later ordinance. It is also mandatory to present a ticket that guarantees the return.

Another novelty is the creation of a visa aimed at digital nomads and professionals who work remotely for other countries – in these cases, authorization will also require proof of minimum income obtained outside Portugal.

The measures will also make life easier for immigrants with mechanisms such as guaranteeing the provisional allocation of tax identification numbers (similar to the CPF), Social Security numbers and registration in the National Health System. Known as “magic numbers”, since they are essential for the full enjoyment of rights and duties, these records were often difficult for foreigners to access.

The project, proposed by the government of Socialist Prime Minister António Costa, who has an absolute majority in Parliament, moved with unusual speed. The proposal was announced just over a month ago, after approval by the Council of Ministers.

The speed is possibly related to the shortage of manpower in the country, especially for positions in the tourism and services sector. In many situations, the low salaries for these positions are unattractive to the Portuguese themselves.

In the presentation of the project to the deputies, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Ana Catarina Mendes, reinforced the importance of immigrants, saying that the changes will “guarantee the revitalization of the economy with more manpower in Portugal”.

Deputy for the largest opposition party, the PSD (Social Democratic Party, center-right), deputy Sara Madruga da Costa stressed the importance of the issue, but said she regretted “the hasty way in which the government intends to discuss a serious matter” . The parliamentarian also criticized what she considers the lack of participation of migrant associations and other entities.

There were moments of tension. Leader of the right-wing radical Chega party, deputy André Ventura accused the Socialist Party government of “wanting to support those who come from abroad with subsidies”, while not guaranteeing decent conditions for the country’s own citizens.

After several criticisms by Ventura, the president of the Assembly of the Republic, Augusto Santos Silva, rebutted the statements. “Portugal owes a lot to the many thousands of immigrants who work here; we are an open, inclusive country that respects others,” he said, drawing applause from deputies from all political spectrums.

Shortly after, the eleven deputies from the radical right party left Parliament in protest against Santos Silva’s actions. With the Chega bench absent, the project was approved without votes against. The Socialist Party, the Left Bloc, the PCP (Portuguese Communist Party) and the sole deputy of Livre voted in favor. Parliamentarians from the PSD, the Liberal Initiative and the Pan (People-Animal-Nature) abstained.

The text is now going to be sanctioned by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. The changes take effect after publication in the Diário da República, the Portuguese Official Gazette.

The vote in Parliament was followed live by many Brazilians on social media. Since it was announced, the new Portuguese visa package was eagerly awaited among those interested in moving to Portugal. In addition to Brazil and Portugal, the CPLP also includes the Africans Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique and São Tomé e Príncipe, and the Asian East Timor.

“We have noticed a brutal increase in people who previously considered the possibility of moving to Portugal, but were not eligible for any type of visa. What was once an idea of ​​maybe one day living abroad, now becomes, in fact, a real possibility for thousands of Brazilian families”, says businesswoman Patrícia Lemos, partner of the consultancy Vou Mudar para Portugal.

The new visas are intended to give more legal and social security to the main migratory route to the country: regularization through insertion in the labor market. Although Portugal allows the regularization of those who arrive in the country as a tourist and start working irregularly, the process is long and bureaucratic.

In addition to the possibility of paying a fine for undue length of stay, undocumented migrants are more vulnerable to all types of exploitation. Due to the current overload of the SEF (Foreigners and Borders Service), responsible for immigration, the processes have taken between two or three years to complete.

Professor at the University of Coimbra, demographer Pedro Góis considers that the new visas are a very positive measure for the country, but draws attention to the need to ensure an agile and effective process. “We cannot transfer the SEF bureaucracy to the Portuguese consulates in Brazil, which already have a shortage of people.”

The demographer says that Portugal has much to gain from the arrival of foreigners and the facilitation of the movement of people. According to Góis, the European country will also benefit from the implementation of the CPLP action, which will “be seen as something real for the citizens of all its countries”.

The changes in Portuguese legislation took place within the scope of the mobility agreement between the members of the bloc, which was approved in July 2021 at a meeting in Luanda. Each nation in the Lusophone community is free to formulate its own rules.

The agreement has already been ratified by the Brazilian Congress, but laws regarding migration among citizens from member countries have not yet been approved.