Portugal no longer allows foreigners to enter Portugal and then apply for a residence permit.
Earlier this week, the Portuguese government announced plans to toughen immigration rules, including the formation of a structure to settle an estimated 400,000 pending residency cases, international media reported recently.
Under the new rules, foreigners with tourist visas will no longer be able to apply for legalization in Portugal. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro emphasized in a statement that the change aims to address what he described as excessive abuse of Portugal’s willingness to receive immigrants.
These announcements come just days before millions of Europeans head to the polls to vote for their representatives in the European Parliament, in an election widely anticipated to tilt the bloc to the right.
