In a statement sent to Lusa, it added that this increase had led to new requests for nationality being suspended at the Consulate General of Portugal in São Paulo until 2 January 2019.

According to the office, almost 6,000 requests were made in nine months and 61% are for study visas.

“The growing demand is related to the quality of the Portuguese higher education institutions and also to the fact that the admission grade for Brazilian higher education has now been accepted in Portugal,” the statement said.

The office noted that demand for Portuguese nationality is particularly predominant in Brazil, especially since the approval of the legislative amendment which allows people born outside the country with Portuguese grandparents to be granted Portuguese nationality.

In 2017, among all Portuguese consulates, the Consulate General of São Paulo had the highest number of requests, a total of 12,217, three times the volume of the second most requested, the Consulate General of Rio de Janeiro, which received 4,157 requests.