NEW RULES FOR IMMIGRANTS
The Portuguese government has just passed a law introducing stricter immigration regulations.
According to the new rules, only highly skilled individuals will be eligible for job-search visas. Another condition is that family reunifications for immigrants will only be allowed after two years of lawful residence.
The law was approved in Parliament in Lisbon on Tuesday by the centre-right majority with the backing of the far-right Chega party.
It is an amended version of the original text which was rejected by the Constitutional Court in July this year for being too severe on family members wishing to join immigrants in the country.
Still undecided is the question of obtaining Portuguese nationality. A clause allowing immigrants to seek legalisation by demonstrating that they have worked and contributed to social security for a minimum of one year will be debated again after being repealed in Parliament last year.
The number of foreign-born individuals living in this country currently accounts for well over 10% of the total population. Brazil, Angola and France are the main countries of origin. Significant numbers are from other Portuguese-speaking former colonies in Africa, as well as from the UK, Ukraine, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. In recent years there has been a growing trend of Americans coming to live in Portugal.
The highest concentrations of immigrants live in Lisbon, Setúbal and the Algarve.
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