Inês Azevedo, Counsel at Morais Leitão and Head of the Immigration team within the Employment, Social Security and Immigration practice, is the author of an article published in the November edition of the E-Bulletin of the Global Migration Section of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), focusing on recent changes to Portuguese immigration and nationality legislation.
The article draws on the latest data regarding the foreign population legally residing in Portugal, which currently exceeds 1.5 million individuals, to frame the recent amendments to the Foreigners Act. Key changes include new restrictions on family reunification, with longer minimum periods of lawful residence, and the replacement of the general job-seeker visa with a skilled job-seeker visa. As a general rule, it is no longer possible to apply for a residence permit from within Portugal, subject to limited exceptions.
The author also examines the entry into force of the European Entry-Exit System, which entails the collection of biometric data from third-country nationals, as well as the proposed amendments to the Nationality Act. These proposals foresee an increase in the residence period required for naturalisation and the introduction of new civic and cultural assessment criteria.
The E-Bulletin is a publication of AILA’s Global Migration Section, an international network bringing together more than 1,000 immigration lawyers from around 45 countries, promoting the exchange of technical knowledge and comparative analysis of key global trends in international mobility.
Read the full article in the attachment below.
