Program sent by the Government to Parliament proposes the revision of foreigners’ laws and limit migratory flows
The Government of Portugal sent on Saturday (14.jun.2025) a program with measures aimed at harming the rules for obtaining Portuguese nationality and qualifying the approval of work visas. The document was sent to Parliament. This is a (PDF – 3 MB).
One of the priority axes of the program is to promote the “Regulated and humanist immigration”. In this regard, there are 9 measures presented by the government of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro (Social Democratic Party, Centro-right),. They ask for the revision of the Nationality Law, the Foreign Law and the Asylum Law, the construction of foreign screening centers and the creation of a new extradition system.
To obtain Portuguese nationality, the minimum residence time will be extended – the period has not been detailed – and no eventual period will be accounted for in which the applicant is remained illegally.
The approval of the work visa will undergo new criteria. The granting of this type of visa will be restricted to “Candidates with high qualifications”. The proficiency of the Portuguese language will also be analyzed.
Finally, new temporary installation centers will be built to perform the screening process of migrants outside the European Union trying to enter Portugal. For this there will be a new system of identification and extradition for foreigners in an illegal situation.
