New immigration rules in Portugal have suddenly closed the path to legal status for foreigners who entered the country irregularly. Many say the move will lead to greater hardship for migrants.
For many years, migrants, whether they entered legally or not, could achieve legal status in Portugal through work, entrepreneurship, or freelancing. Portugal had a reputation as one of the EU's most welcoming countries for immigrants.
Since 2007, Lisbon allowed people with valid visas to work anywhere in Europe to be regularized. In 2018, the former socialist government extended this to those entering without a valid visa. This long-standing process has now been ended by the new government.
On Monday, June 3, Portugal's cabinet proposed a decree to tighten immigration policy, which was quickly approved by the president and published in the official gazette.
The government announced 42 new measures to manage migration flow. Articles 81, 88, and 89 of Immigration Law 59/2017, which allowed immigrants working for at least a year and contributing to social security to become legal, were revoked. This means the legalization process through those articles is no longer possible.
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