Portugal tightens migration rules after right-wing surge

LISBON: Portugal announced a new plan on Monday that will tighten some rules for migrants, following in the footsteps of other European Union countries and coming just days before EU elections that will tilt EU politics to the right.

The new rules will require migrants to have an employment contract before moving to Portugal.

“We need people in Portugal who are willing to help us build a more just and prosperous society,” Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said. “But we cannot go to the other extreme and keep our doors open.”

The government will outlaw a widely used mechanism called “expression of interest,” which for years allowed non-EU migrants to move to Portugal without an employment contract and request residency after paying social security for a year.

The end of this system means that migrants will have to obtain employment contracts before coming to the country. Priority will be given to entry for qualified professionals, students, people from Portuguese-speaking countries and those seeking to reunite with family. The government did not give any details about the type of “qualification”.

According to Montenegro, there are currently around 400,000 regularization procedures pending, with the government hoping to tackle the problem by creating a task force, restructuring the newly established Migration and Border Agency, and increasing the number of staff.

The plan reflects a rightward shift in politics across much of Europe, as governments try to curb the rise of the far-right by cracking down on immigration.

The right is resurgent in Portugal after a general election in March that the right-wing Democratic Alliance (AD) won by a slim margin. AD is governing without a majority and needs the support of right-wing party Chega or the center-left Socialists to pass legislation.

The anti-immigration, populist Chega is Portugal’s third-largest political party, with its parliamentary representation increasing fourfold to 50 MPs.

Far-right and conservative parties are expected to make gains in this week’s European Parliament elections, which could tilt EU politics towards a tougher stance on law and order and border security.

Around 800,000 migrants live in Portugal, almost double the number from a decade ago. Around 14% of taxpayers are migrants, who will contribute more than 1.6 billion euros to the economy in 2022, while receiving around 257 million euros in social benefits.

According to the Migration Observatory, even though migrants make important contributions, they are more likely to have precarious jobs and low wages. In a 2023 report, the Observatory said some sectors would collapse without foreign workers.

Portugal had one of Europe’s most open migration systems under the previous Socialist government, in power for eight years from 2015, although migrants had long complained about serious delays in obtaining residency and other documentation.

The delays have left many people struggling to find housing and jobs.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Reuters)