Portugal: Requests for Job-seeking Visas by Brazilians Mark Highest Increase in 2024

Job-seeking visas account for 54.17 per cent of all visas issued by Portuguese consulates in Brazil this year, marking a notable increase compared to 31.86 per cent of the total registered in 2023.

The figures provided by Publico show that this year, the most significant increase was registered in requests for job-seeking visas in Portugal by Brazilians, Schengen.News reports.

However, the sharp increase of applications by Brazilians for these visas has also led to an increase in the waiting time for the issuance of the document, from an average of three months to up to six months, according to companies working with immigration.

Managing partner of Clube do Passaporte, Marcelo Rubin, told Publico that the number of applications for job-seeking visas to Portugal surged by more than 200 per cent compared to the figures from last year.

At the same time, the CEO of the consultancy Aliança Portuguesa, Fábio Knauer, said that requests for these visas have doubled from one year to the next year.

The increase in job-seeking visa applications by nationals of Brazil increased notably since June last year when the government of Portugal decided to put an end to the Manifestação de Interesse (Expression of Interest), which permitted foreigners to enter as tourists in the country and then apply to immigration authorities expressing their wish to continue living in Portugal.

Announcing the decision, back then, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said it was necessary to regulate immigration in order to give dignity to people.

240% Increase in Residence Permits Issued to Brazilians
Brazilians have been the largest foreign community in Portugal for years now. A report provided by Portugal’s Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) last month revealed that a significant increase was also noted in the number of residence permits granted to nationals of Brazil.

According to AIMA, the number of residence permits issued by Portuguese authorities to Brazilians increased by a total of 240 per cent last year compared to the statistics registered in 2022.

In 2023, authorities in Portugal granted a total of 147,262 residence permits to Brazilians, in contrast to 43,313 registered in 2022.

It should be noted that Residence Permits to citizens of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) represent 45.3 per cent of new residence permit grants. 

The agency said that the Community of Portuguese Language Countries also account for a high number of residence permits issued by Portugal.

Source: https://schengen.news/portugal-requests-for-job-seeking-visas-by-brazilians-mark-highest-increase-in-2024/