A new action plan was announced on June 4 by the newly elected Government, immediately followed by a Decree-law revoking expressions of interest, to prevent the number of applications for residence permits without residence visas from growing.
The Plan considers 4 axes and 41 measures with a view to generally attain the following:
- More effective regulations and control mechanisms, including entry rules into Portugal and border control systems;
- Creation of a taskforce to deal urgently with the 400,000 pending case files;
- Attraction of foreign talent, along with higher education students, and other professionals to bridge the labor market skills gap, but designed to match job offers;
- A more effective integration of immigrants, by means, for instance, of facilitating access to public healthcare and to learning of Portuguese as a foreign language, along with making family reunification procedures easier;
- Attraction of foreign investment to assist with providing affordable housing in general and better living conditions and facilities for immigrants and asylum seekers;
- Assessment of the scope and competencies of immigration related public entities, while making more resources available to Consulates and AIMA and allowing for a wider participation of municipalities and society in general.
To implement this Action Plan for Migration, further amendments to the Aliens Act are expected in 2024, after approval by Parliament.
Find out more at Portugal.gov.