Portugal to tighten visa rules in response to record immigration

Portugal’s government plans to tighten immigration rules by requiring a work visa from most foreigners wishing to enter and live in the country.

Until now, a foreign citizen who entered Portugal with a tourist visa and found a job would be able to apply for a residence permit. With the planned new requirements, most foreigners wanting to work in the country will need to apply for a work visa at a Portuguese consulate prior to arriving, Presidency Minister Antonio Leitao Amaro said on Monday.

“Portugal needs regulated immigration,” Leitao Amaro said at a press conference near Lisbon after a cabinet meeting at which the plan was approved. “Rules without supervision are the path to the limbo and indignity that many immigrants are living in.”


The number of foreign residents in Portugal rose 33% to a record one million people in 2023, representing about 10% of the country’s total population, according to data compiled by the government.

Portugal’s center-right minority government also plans to increase border controls, create a task force to deal with a backlog of more than 400,000 visa applications, and invest in centers to help address the immediate needs of migrants living under difficult conditions, the minister said.