On Thursday, August 4, the president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, sanctioned legislation establishing new modalities of visas for foreigners. Among them is the one for seeking work. The text still needs to be published in the Official Gazette to come into force.
Presented by the government in mid-June, the project was approved in the Portuguese Parliament on July 21. According to the Portuguese government, the proposal aims to “attract regulated immigration”.
With the implementation of the work search visa, those who want to move to Portugal will have 120 days to find a job and apply for residency. There is the possibility of extending the visa for another 60 days.
In a statement, Rebelo de Sousa said that “some formal inaccuracies” still need to be “taken care of” but stressed the importance of the project to comply with the mobility agreement between the CPLP countries (Community of Portuguese Language Countries).
In July 2021, the CPLP approved a mobility agreement to facilitate the circulation of people in the group’s countries, granting visas and residence permits. Like Brasilia, Lisbon ratified the pact.
Besides visas to seek work, the new legislation establishes rules for citizens from CPLP nations to stay in the country. According to the text, those who “are holders of a short term visa or temporary stay visa or who have legally entered national territory may apply in national territory, with the SEF [Foreigners and Borders Service], for the CPLP residence permit.”
This permit will be valid “for less than one year, renewable for an equal period.”
OTHER CHANGES
Besides the visa for job seekers and citizens from CPLP member countries, the legislation contemplates:
- Digital nomads: granting a visa to exercise subordinate or independent professional activity to professionals working remotely outside Portugal. In this case, “the employment relationship or provision of services, as the case may be, must be demonstrated;
- Families: simplification of family migration, with the granting of visas and residence permits for those accompanying family members already holding a visa or residence permit;
- Students: those enrolled in Portuguese universities will not need to request a visa from SEF, as is done today.
With information from Poder360