New Portuguese Government Tightens Migration Rules

The new government of Portugal has decided to tighten migration rules to the country for all non-EU citizens.

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Known for one of the most liberal immigration regimes in the European Union, the Prime Minister of Portugal, Luis Montenegro, said that the country will no longer have a “wide-open door” policy, Schengen.News reports.

As part of its new Action Plan for Migration, the government has decided to limit the number of migrants by tightening its current rules.

According to the authorities, one of the changes is that non-EU citizens will no longer be permitted to migrate to Portugal without holding an employment contract.

This means that migrants who want to reach Portugal in the future will have to secure a job, sign a contract, and then enter the country.

By putting an end to the rule of moving to the country without an employment contract, the new Prime Minister of Portugal, Luis Montenegro, said that the government wants to avoid excessive abuse of the system.

In addition to the above-mentioned, the new government said that it would focus on attracting foreign talent and introduce a plan that works to help foreigners integrate into Portugal.

The plan now approved is based on the principle that Portugal needs and wants to welcome more immigrants – for demographic, social, and economic reasons. An immigration that must be regulated and monitored, accompanied by humanist integration.

Action Plan Will Focus on 4 Main Areas to Control Migration

As the official website of the Portuguese Government reveals, the Action Plan is divided into four main areas.

As part of many other changes, the government aims to promote regular migration, attract foreign talent, help the integration process, and do an institutional reorganisation.

The Plan is divided into four main areas of action: regulated immigration; attracting foreign talent; human integration that works; and institutional reorganisation.

The authorities have stressed that special attention will also be given to the review of the entry rules. Strengthened controls across the country will also be made to combat irregular migration and human trafficking, among others.

Portugal Currently Dealing With a Backlog of Migrant Regularisation Applications

Portugal has been registering a high number of migrant arrivals, with the country’s foreign population doubling in the last five years.

Due to the high number of migrant arrivals, the country is currently dealing with a backlog of regularisation applications.

According to Prime Minister Montenegro, there are currently around 400,000 regularisation applications that need to be processed.

Data show that in 2023, around 180,000 migrants were regularised.