Portugal’s parliament voted Wednesday in favour of strengthening migration policies, with the centre-right governing coalition relying on the support of Chega deputies to overcome opposition from the left.
Lawmakers backing the minority government of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro voted alongside members of Chega, which became the country’s second-largest political force in May’s elections but is not part of the ruling coalition.
Under the new provisions, work visas will now be limited to highly qualified immigrants, and the conditions for family reunification will be made more stringent.
Brazilians, who constitute the largest immigrant group, will no longer benefit from a rule that allowed them to gain residency status after arriving in Portugal.
Lawmakers also approved the creation of a new unit within the national police force tasked with combating illegal immigration and deporting migrants residing in the country unlawfully.
However, a component of the proposed legislation aimed at restricting access to Portuguese nationality will undergo further parliamentary debate due to legal concerns.
Since coming to power in March 2024, Montenegro’s government has moved quickly to replace the lax immigration framework inherited from the previous Socialist administration, which had implemented some of the most permissive policies in Europe.
A 2018 provision allowing immigrants to apply for residency after working for just one year and paying into the social security system—even if they arrived on a tourist visa—has been repealed.
At the end of 2024, Portugal had 1.55 million foreign nationals, four times more than in 2017 and approximately 15 percent of the total population, according to official figures.
“For years, the Socialist Party promoted a policy of wide-open doors, without any criteria. This irresponsibility must be corrected quickly,” Chega lawmaker Vanessa Barata said Wednesday.
