But what economic and political consequences will this have in the long term? Until recently, Portuguese legislation provided that illegal immigrants were not obliged to leave the country in order to obtain a work permit. But now this practice is abolished. According to the competent Deputy Deputy Minister of the Presidency, Rui Armido Freitas, this change is only an adjustment to the existing EU legislation.

The representatives of the non-governmental organizations, however, speak of a concession to the populist right-wing factions that turn against immigrants. In any case, this is proof that Portugal’s immigration policy is rather confused – at least so far.

A residence permit is a prerequisite for entering the country

“The immigration authority AIMA has a total of 400,000 applications that have not yet been processed,” Freitas explains to DW. Many illegal immigrants looking for work wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to first enter the country and then obtain the necessary papers. And according to Freitas this is something that had to be stopped immediately.

“The processing of the applications, some of which have been submitted for two years, should be organized by the end of June next year at the latest. We want to find solutions to certain problems that have been worsening for many years”, emphasizes Freitas. Since last June, immigrants who want to work in Portugal must apply for a residence permit at a Portuguese embassy or consulate abroad.

The economy needs foreign labor

But this is not so simple, since Portugal has neither embassies nor consulates in many of the traditional countries of origin. Therefore, people from Nepal or Bangladesh who are interested in agricultural jobs should apply for a visa at the Portuguese embassy in New Delhi, India.

This is also a problem for Portuguese farmers, as Luis Mira of the Portuguese Farmers’ Union points out: “We need labor during the harvest season and not just sometime later. And the government must allow workers to continue to come quickly and without much red tape to Portugal.”

Extremists against immigrants

Portugal, like Germany, has long had a strong need for foreign labour: agriculture is mainly occupied by Asians, who work for low wages, many restaurants and cafes rely on workers from Brazil, while construction sites employ many Africans.

Many of them came to Portugal without the necessary documents. They pay taxes and contributions, often still waiting for their residence permit to be issued. And despite the fact that they too support the economy and the social welfare system, the populists hate them.

The far-right Chega party, which won several additional seats in parliament in the last election, is seeking quotas on migration flows, as well as holding a referendum on migration policy. Freitas says on the other hand that “we don’t want fewer immigrants, but a clear regulatory framework for immigrant workers that the country welcomes – so that extremists cannot take advantage of this issue.”

As the Portuguese politician emphasizes, Lisbon realizes the advantages of a multicultural society. The aim of amending the legislation is to ensure the necessary rights and suitable living conditions for people coming from abroad: “It is important to integrate all those who come. For the development of the economy we need foreign workers. And the new legislation is beneficial for both those who come to the country and those who live here.” In addition, in this way there will be fewer migrants who will fall prey to illegal gangs of smugglers.

Is the number of illegal immigrants increasing?

In the last three months, applications for residence permits submitted abroad have fallen by almost a quarter. At the same time, however, various NGOs report that many people still arrive in the country illegally: “Foreigners work almost exclusively in the fields and restaurants. They are constantly increasing – one only has to observe the people on the streets to understand this. And all of them come, because we need them”, says Alberto Matos from the NGO Solim.

“If these immigrants cannot become legal once they arrive in the country, the number of illegal immigrants will continue to rise.” And then the change in legislation will backfire on the Portuguese government.

Edited by: Giorgos Passas