With its warm climate, relatively affordable life and rich culture, Portugal has long attracted tourists, whether it is a vacation or a more permanent move.
Southwest European countries are one The highest destination for immigrationdue to its previous free immigration policies and considered to be the top policy Integration model. It is always ranked in the top ten destination countries The ranking system of the Institute of Immigration Integration Policywhich points out the benefits of Portugal’s labour market and citizenship model, as well as other attractive qualities.
People of all economic backgrounds flock to Portugal – from immigrants seeking jobs and Digital nomads Take advantage of an affordable location, Sunset migration Retired person. Last year, the European Commission's Ministry of Immigration and Interior Report More than one million foreign citizens live in Portugal, the country's highest population ever, accounting for about 10% of the population.
Therefore, last Saturday's news from the Portuguese caretaker government last Saturday Plans to expel approximately 18,000 undocumented foreigners Life in a country without authorization seemed like a sudden shift, with Prime Minister Luis Montenegro accused by critics Get the page A script from US President Donald Trump.
Montenegro did not give a specific reason for the decision, but last year he Strengthened the country's immigration lawHe said Portugal cannot “open the door open” and prioritizes entry into qualified professionals, students, people who speak Portuguese-speaking countries and those seeking family gatherings.
Anna Triandafyllidou, president of the Integration Research at the Canadian Migration and Integration of the Metropolitan University of Toronto, explained that Portugal has been “sliding over the past two years in the past two years”.
“Unlike other southern European countries, Portugal is very popular in terms of race and racial density. Suddenly, these people are targeted because they are visible,” Triandafyllidou told CBC News.
She added that despite this, the government's plan to expel foreigners was “unheard of for Portugal”.
“This rounding and expelling people – it’s very extreme.”
A “silent” migration
Triandafyllidou explained that Portugal, by maintaining its post-colonial relations, led to the racial integration of immigrant populations but with linguistic and cultural commonalities.
Traditionally, most immigration to Portugal has traditionally flowed from countries that talk about Portugal (such as Brazil, Cape Verde and Angola). Overall human development website.
In addition, from South Asian countries, “silent” immigrants of undocumented workers are tempted to gain EU legal status, e.g. Foreign Policy Magazine and French News Reported.
Under the previous socialist government, Portugal has some of Europe's most open immigration policies.
Until 2024, when the Portuguese center-right government strengthened some immigration rules, a widely used mechanism called “performance of interests” allows non-EU immigrants without employment contracts to move to Portugal and demand a right of residence after paying for social security.
Triandafyllidou noted that she has more South Asian presence in Lisbon, the country’s capital, and especially working in restaurants and food delivery services. Foreign Policy In Lisbon, “Nepal staff restaurant kitchens and Bangladesh run fruit shops in many cities.”
Even in the most traditional fishing village near Porto, “half of the crew is made up of Indonesians,” AFP said.
In a 2023 report, the Immigration Observatory said some departments will collapse without foreign workers. Nevertheless, according to European Commission's recent immigration barometer68% of Portuguese citizens believe that Portugal’s immigration policy is too permissible.
“Affordable Life” …
Meanwhile, Portugal has many intentional policies aimed at attracting wealthy foreign investment. These includeGolden Visa“For years, the program linked residency rights to real estate investments, tax breaks provided by the state, and digital nomadic visas for remote workers.
Last month, International Life Magazine Annual Global Retirement Index Among its top countries in 2025, it will be named Portugal No. 2 among the top countries in Panama that are behind in 2025. The index repeatedly quotes Portugal’s “Affordable Life” and points out that “a couple can live comfortably” between $3,480 and $4,200.
Property Sales in AlgarveThis is the country's popular beach lining southern end, and it soars. Even Aga Khanconsidered one of the richest people in the world, moved to Lisbon in 2015 until his death in February.
But the arrival of such affluent foreigners has also exacerbated the housing crisis, rooted in the long-term shortage of affordable housing. Since 2015, rents in Lisbon have soared 94 per cent and house prices have risen 186 per cent, as Reuters reported.
These two locals, especially immigrants from non-EU countries. Data from Immigration Observatory shows that 19% of people living in overcrowded accommodation from Portugal outside the European Union are overcrowded with about 8% of Portuguese, citing people in countries such as Nepal and Bangladesh have been particularly affected.
Portugal remains one of the poorest countries in Western Europe, with the lowest average wage.
Housing researcher Simone Tulumello told Reuters last year.
Political migration
The streets of Lisbon are often filled with parades and gatherings – for affordable housing, immigration rights, and protesting more people crossing the border. Last month, Portuguese riot police detained several super-right protesters as the team convened a rally that was banned in protest of the growing number of immigrants.
On May 18, the country will hold an early general election. Montenegro called SNAP in March to vote after the minority government lost confidence in the vote and stood down in parliament.
In last year's election, the far-right chega party soared to third place.
In his New advertising platformChega leader André Ventura condemned what he called “the complete lack of control on our borders”, writing in Portuguese: “There is an urgent need to restore normality to allow foreigners to flow into the process into Portugal.”
Among its immigration priorities, Chega hopes to grant only “people who have effective relationships with the Portuguese state, speak language, understand history and advocate culture”. Ventura added that those who do enter illegally should return to their country of origin.
“Given the election, I think what we're seeing in Portugal is very cheap politicization,” Triandafyllidou said.
“In Europe, fear of the far right is pushing these Conservative governments to extreme solutions in an attempt to win the vote, which has not happened.”
“Evicting is not the solution!”
Montenegro government announces its Evicting Program Opposition leaders accused him of Trying to approach the chega party. He called the move a “trump card” in the Montenegro campaign, a term for the border suppression of U.S. President Donald Trump.
In January, Ventura traveled to Washington for Trump's inauguration, saying he agreed with Trump's announcement that he planned to deport millions of illegal immigrants, adding that “safe country has strong borders.” Portugal News.
Montenegro Denied the eviction order is accelerating to the upcoming May 18 election and said it was part of the process that began last June. according to Portuguese pulse News website.
But as the eviction orders began to go out, about 4,500 people had been notified of them for 20 days until they had to leave. Media Reportssome immigration associations urge people to “fight” and “resist”.
“Evicting is not the solution!” Unity (Immigration Solidarity) a nonprofit on its Facebook page last week.
“We will fight forever! Strength, friend! Always resist!”
