But it is not a ‘happy picture’ of seamless integration
The number of foreign nationals living in Portugal in 2022 was 800,000 â€` double the figure of 10 years ago â€` with one in three living at risk of poverty and half a million having been granted Portuguese nationality in the last 15 years, according to the statistical database of the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.

In a portrait of the “foreign population and migratory flows in Portugal” on the occasion of International Migration Day today, the database, dubbed Pordata, has sought to assess the number and living conditions of immigrants and developments in the granting of nationality and residence permits.

The study concludes that 76% of foreigners come from non-European Union countries, and have an unemployment rate that is more than double the national average (in 2021, for example, these foreigners were earning an estimated “€94 less per month than the national average”).
Just in 2022, “118,000 immigrants entered Portugal, the highest figure since records began” â€` while 31,000 left, translating into “23,000 fewer (-43%) than in the year with the highest number of departures, 2013,” Pordata says in its release.
Last year, there were 798,480 foreign nationals living in Portugal legally or in the process of having their residence made legal by state services, representing 7.6% of the total population.
“In the last 15 years, Portuguese nationality has been granted to around half a million foreigners (468,665), both resident and non-resident in Portugal,” says Pordata, pointing out that in the last two years the majority of these grants were given to non-resident citizens with as many as one third going to descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews in 2022.
The number of immigrants decreased between 2010 and 2015, but since then there has been a very large increase and, as an example, between 2018 and 2019, the growth in the number of resident foreigners was of more than 110,000.
“Compared to the Portuguese population, the foreign population in Portugal has a higher proportion

of men and is younger,” notes Pordata’s release, adding that the median age is 37, or seven years less than the median age of the Portuguese population.
“The most representative nationalities in Portugal are Brazilian (29.3%), British (6%), Cape Verdean (4.9%), Italian (4.4%), Indian (4.3%) and Romanian (4.1%),” reads the report.
This increase in the foreign population is reflected in the education system, with the number of immigrants enrolled doubling in five years to 105,955 in the 2021/22 school year.
In primary schools, one in 10 children is a foreigner and a third of doctoral students at universities are immigrants.
On the labour front, according to Eurostat, quoted by Pordata, more than one third have temporary work contracts (against an average of 16% among Portuguese nationals in work) and Portugal is 4th country in the EU in terms of the most non-permanent contracts in the European Union among foreign nationals.
With regard to poverty and social exclusion, 31% of foreigners living in Portugal face both â€` translating into 11 percentage points above the average for the native Portuguese population facing poverty and social exclusion. This problem is “particularly acute among those from outside Europe (34%).
“Since 2019, the number of immigrants has been three times higher than the number of emigrants, contributing to positive migratory balances,” although the number of emigrants is still significant, adds Pordata, which also analyses that side of things.
“In 2022, 31,000 emigrants left Portugal, 23,000 fewer than in the year that saw the highest number of departures, 2013,” with two thirds of these being men, and almost half (47.6%) having higher education.
Among those who left last year, 51% went to another EU member state; in an analysis of previous years, Pordata concluded that “in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021, more emigrants left with higher education than with basic education.”
Source: LUSA V.5146

One of the highlighted topics: Critical Skills Visa.

- Key Insight: Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast track to working in South Afr...
- This matter relates to critical skills visa and its broader implications.
- Individuals are advised to seek professional guidance.

Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast trac V.6139
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One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, became a victim of identity theft in 2012 when fraudulent transactions occurred, using her personal details.

-The Pretoria High Court found that the department of home affairs had violated constitutional rights without due process.
-Only half of Lawyers for Human Rights` test group has been unblocked, while 385 000 identities remain blocked nationwide.
-LHR appeals extension, urges affected people to seek help now.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) are intensifying pressure on the department of home affairs over the national ID-blocking crisis, accusing the state of acting too slowly to unblock qualifying individuals despite a landmark court ruling.

In January last year, the Pretoria High Court found that the department`s practice of blocking IDs without due process was unlawful and unconstitutional. One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, a Swati citizen and South African permanent resident since 1998, fell victim to identity theft in 2012 when fraudsters used her personal details.

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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6128
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6129
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A Washington state mother and her 6-year-old son have been released after spending more than three weeks in US immigration detention due to a brief trip to Canada and a small paperwork mistake, her attorney told CNN on Saturday.

Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen who has lived legally in the US since she arrived in 2021, was detained at the Blaine, Washington, Customs and Border Protection checkpoint when returning home after dropping her two oldest children off at the Vancouver airport for a flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Shaw, 33, chose the flight out of Vancouver because it was direct and she didn`t want her children to have to navigate a layover alone, her attorney Minda Thorward, told CNN.

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On 22 July 2025, the Gauteng High Court dismissed Sitrusrand Boerdery`s review of the Department of Employment and Labour`s refusal to issue a Working Conditions and Salary Benchmarking Certificate, an essential precondition for obtaining corporate visas under the Immigration Act.

Acting Judge Kekana AJ held that the Department`s decision was lawful, rational and procedurally fair. This judgment illustrates how businesses can - and must - structure their corporate visa applications to meet statutory requirements, and how legal practitioners should prepare robust review challenges when administrative authorities decline to recommend foreign-work permits.

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The United States could forfeit an estimated 9.4 billion dollars in visitor spending over the next three years following the introduction of a new 250 dollars `visa integrity fee,` according to industry groups, who warn the policy risks undermining tourism and costing thousands of jobs.
The United States’ decision to introduce a 250 dollars `visa integrity fee` on international visitors has triggered sharp criticism from the global tourism industry, with officials warning that the measure could deter millions of travellers and cost the U.S. economy billions.
The 250dollar `visa integrity fee,` part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025, will take effect later this year. According to immigration law firm Envoy Global, it applies to all nonimmigrant visa holders which include students, tourists, temporary workers, and business visitors particularly from African countries. V.6132
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6127
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1. Right to Legal Representation•You have the right to consult with a legal representative.•Contact an immigration practitioner, legal aid clinic, or attorney urgently.•Do not sign any documents without understanding them fully. 2. Section 34 of the Immigration Act•You must be brought to court with 48 hours to confirm arrest but you can remain locked up very long as courts figure out what to do with you •If you`re found to be illegally in South Africa, you may be detained for up to 30 days (extendable by a magistrate) pending deportation.•BUT this cannot happen arbitrarily. You must be informed of your rights, and Home Affairs must follow due process.- becomes a nightmare , you could lose your job , business , place to stay V.6121
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Driving for Bolt, Uber, Mr D, or Checkers Sixty60?If you`re undocumented, you`re risking more than just your income.The Risks if You`re Not Legal: - Vehicle impoundment - Heavy fines - Arrest & deportation - Permanent bans from working in SA V.6122
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