Portugal’s center-right Democratic Alliance (AD) Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has vowed to put an end to the country’s “wide-open doors” policy in an opportunist maneuver amid the migration crisis. Montenegro took office last April, following an election that saw substantial gains for the populist right-wing Chega, which campaigned on limiting migration.
The proposed law would impose new limitations on one of Europe’s most open immigration regimes, responsible for pushing up the number of foreign residents in Portugal by 33% in 2023 alone.
On Monday, lawmakers called for the repeal of a key immigration policy that allows non-EU citizens to move to Portugal without an employment contract and request residency after having paid into the social security program for a year.
If the new law is approved by parliament, migrants would need an employment contract before moving to Portugal. The entry of qualified professionals, students, those from Portuguese-speaking nations, and people seeking family reunion would be prioritized.
André Ventura, leader of the increasingly popular Chega party, said the plan did not go far enough, describing it as “weak” and “ineffective.”
Defending the proposal, Montenegro said that, while “We need people in Portugal willing to help us build a fairer and more prosperous society,” he wanted to “put an end to the excessive abuse” of its welcoming policy.
In a five-year timespan, Portugal’s foreign population has doubled, with many people coming from Asia to work on farms and in restaurants.
Perhaps more incredibly, overseas arrivals now make up one million people—roughly a tenth of the total population—according to government data. Last year, a whopping 180,000 migrants were regularized.
While Portugal has one of Europe’s most open immigration regimes, in recent years, the country has witnessed a political shift to the right. Bringing migration under control has become a key issue with voters, who have turned to the populist anti-mass migration party Chega, now the third-largest political party in Portugal. Following the March elections, its parliamentary representation quadrupled to 50 lawmakers.
In that context, Montenegro’s plan looks like a strategic maneuver designed to neutralize the political threat posed by Chega—or a step to get the upstart challenger on board: AD is governing without a majority, meaning it needs support from Chega or the center-left Socialists to enact its proposals.
