Creates 6-month work seekers’ visa for foreigners

The Portuguese government has approved the creation of a new visa for seeking work – seemingly giving six-months automatic entry to any foreign nationals – while eliminating the quota regime for immigration.

The decision was announced yesterday afternoon by Ana Catarina Mendes, minister for foreign and parliamentary affairs, following the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers.

Ms Mendes told a press conference held after the meeting that “in the promotion of safe, orderly and regulated migration and in the fight against labour shortages, a new type of visa has been created, specifically the visa for the search of work – thus enabling entry into Portugal for nationals of foreign states who come to look for work for a period of 120 days, extendable for a further 60 days, for a total of 180 days”.

Says Lusa, the minister also advanced that the government has “definitely” eliminated what she considered to be “an anachronism for a long time, which is the quota regime for residence visas for subordinate work“.

These measures have all been incorporated in the draft law amending the legal regime for the entry, stay, exit and expulsion of foreigners from the country approved by the Council of Ministers. They will undoubtedly go a long way to accommodating needs of the tourism/ hospitality sector, which has been complaining for months that it cannot fulfill its potential from Portuguese workers alone.

Brazilian blog “Portugal Giro” has already applauded the decision, saying Brazilians have long been waiting for a mechanism that allows them to come to Portugal in order to work, even if only for a short-term.

“With this new visa, Brazilian emigration is likely to skyrocket”, says author Gian Amato today.

Source: Lusa