As of August 31, the Department of Foreigners and Borders (SEF) has issued 63,884 residence permits. To these applications are added 589 asylum applications, giving a total of 64,522 immigrants officially residing in the country. The numbers do not include the thousands who are awaiting settlement.
Tuesday’s data from Diário de NotíciasHowever, there is a decrease compared to the 2020 values. There is a 12.6% decrease in residence permits (it was 72,973 last year) and 7.68% in asylum applications (638 in 2020).
The first year of the pandemic has already recorded a decline in relation to the pre-virus period, which is also the result of limited global circulation and delays in completing regulation, as many services closed their doors.
However, Portugal is still attractive, with the climate, safety and ease in the process being some of the reasons given by foreigners who are interested in moving here.
Brazilians make up the largest community, with a population of 183,993. Immigrants from India and the UK grew the most. Citizens of many EU countries, such as Italians and French, are also on the wish list, as are Israelis. On the other hand, the number of arrivals from Cape Verde, Romania, Ukraine and China decreased.
