The Migration Action Plan, presented by the Government and which includes 41 measures, indicates that “the immigrant population increased significantly during the last year”, rising from 781,247 in 2022 to 1,040,000 in 2023.

The Executive also makes a comparison with the immigration that resided in Portugal in 2015, which was 383,759 immigrants.

The document indicates that the 2023 data is provisional and these statistics do not include foreigners with a regular situation under the granting of residence permits, short-term visas, study visas, work visas or temporary stay visas, as well as foreigners with an irregular situation.

According to the Government, most residence permits granted in Portugal are for the exercise of professional activity.

The document also indicates that migration contributes to “demographic revitalization and the increase in the working population”, with most foreigners residing in the country being between 25 and 44 years old.

In the Migration Action Plan, the Government put an end to the exceptional regime that allowed a foreigner to enter Portugal and only then apply for a residence permit, having announced the creation of a mission structure to regularize pending processes, the number of which is estimated at 400 thousand.

Among the 41 measures provided for in the Plan, there is also the transformation of the current mobility visa for immigrants from the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) into a community visa (Schengen agreements), which allows travel throughout the European Union, and the creation of a Foreigners and Borders Unit (UEF) within the PSP to monitor the presence of immigrants and create emergency service centers.