Annual report on migration and asylum 2024
Portugal’s Agency for Immigration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) published its 2024 annual report, providing data on Portugal’s resident foreign population of 1 543 697 people (31.4% of whom are Brazilian) and highlighting aspects relevant to integration.
According to the report, 71% of Brazil’s migrant population has been granted residence permits; the rest hold temporary protection or other statuses. Men comprise 56.1% of all migrant residents, an increase from 53% in 2023. The 18 – 34 age group is the largest migrant group (640 914), and those of working age (18 – 64) account for 85.5%. Brazilians remain the largest group of third-country nationals (484 596), followed by Indians (98 616) and Angolans (92 348).
By region of origin, South Americans represent the largest share of foreign residents (34.2%), followed by citizens from Africa (20.4%) and Asia (20.2%). Most foreign residents are concentrated in the Lisbon, Setúbal, Faro, and Porto districts. The report also notes strong demand for regularisation services, with AIMA’s call centre registering more than 213 000 appointments in 2024, supported by multilingual sociocultural mediators.
OECD report highlights new integration programme
The OECD’s International Migration Outlook 2025 reports that Portugal’s foreign-born population reached 1.2 million people in 2023, representing 11.7% of the total population, with women accounting for 53%. Brazil, Angola, and Cape Verde were the main nationalities among newcomers. In 2024, Portugal registered 138 000 new long-term or permanent immigrants, a slight decrease compared to 2023. First-time asylum applications increased to around 2 700, mainly from Senegal, The Gambia, and Colombia.
The report also outlines recent policy developments, including the Action Plan for Migration adopted in June 2024, which includes measures on integration, labour migration, and institutional reform. It highlights the launch of Programa Integrar in late 2024, an integration programme offering training, qualification recognition, and personalised employment support for migrants registered with the public employment services.
Caritas network continues to support integration
Portugal’s network of 20 Diocesan Caritas organisations continues to support migrant integration through dedicated centres and programmes. The network provided assistance to 41 692 people in 2024, 40% of whom were migrants (16 623). Five diocesan organisations operate Local Migrant Integration Support Centres, offering services such as Portuguese language and cultural learning, intercultural dialogue, support with legal status regularisation, family reunification, access to education, and labour market integration.
Caritas also addresses migrant inclusion in its recently published annual report on poverty and social exclusion, which highlights higher poverty risks among foreign citizens and their children, based on data from Eurostat and Statistics Portugal.
Changes to the Foreigners’ Law
Portugal’s revised Foreigners’ Law entered into force on 23 October 2025, introducing several changes to migration rules. Family reunification is now generally limited to foreign nationals who have held a valid residence permit for at least two years, with exceptions for families with minors or dependent children, as well as for holders of golden visas, EU Blue Cards, and highly skilled worker permits. The job-seeker visa is restricted to qualified professionals, with eligible occupations to be defined by ministerial decree. In addition, citizens of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries must now obtain the appropriate visa before entering Portugal.
The law also establishes a National Foreigners and Borders Unit within the Public Security Police to oversee border control, migration monitoring, return procedures, and the management of temporary reception centres.
Immigrants help reduce the costs of ageing
A recent study, The Costs of Building Walls: Immigration and the Fiscal Burden of Ageing in Europe, identifies Portugal as one of the Eurozone countries where immigration significantly offsets the fiscal impact of population ageing. Without immigration, the annual net contribution required from a 30-year-old native worker to maintain fiscal balance would be much higher. In Portugal, the net lifetime contribution of immigrant workers is estimated to exceed that of native workers, highlighting the country’s benefits from net migration.
National data reinforce this finding: in 2024, foreign workers contributed €2.2 billion to Social Security while receiving €380 million in benefits. Immigrants represent about 24% of the formal workforce, with over one million contributors, including more than 400,000 Brazilians. The study notes that third-country-born immigrants make a small but positive fiscal contribution, though it does not provide separate EU versus non-EU breakdowns by age or region.
AIMA launches migrant integration services
AIMA now offers a free, rotating service to support migrant integration at its offices in Espinho, Santarém, Cascais, Alverca, and Tavira. Operating once a week in each location, the service provides tailored assistance by appointment on employment, entrepreneurship, housing, health services, social support, education, registration of minors, qualifications recognition, and voluntary return.
The network of Local Support Centres for the Integration of Migrants (CLAIM) continues to grow, with new centres in Esmoriz, Alcobaça, and Sernancelhe. CLAIM offices guide migrants throughout the integration process, working with local partners and promoting intercultural initiatives.
Literacy proficiency among migrant adults
The OECD Education at a Glance 2025 report shows that migration and language background significantly affect adult literacy. In Portugal, native-born adults with native-born parents scored an average of 237 points on the OECD literacy assessment, which measures reading comprehension and the use of written information in daily life. Foreign-born adults scored lower: 223 if they speak Portuguese at home, and 216 if they do not. Language exposure and migration-related barriers, such as interrupted schooling or credential recognition, contribute to these gaps.
Portugal addresses this through Português Língua de Acolhimento (PLA) courses for residents aged 16+, offered via public schools, IEFP training centres, and Qualifica Centres, supporting integration and access to education and employment.
Online services to facilitate access to documentation regularisation
To streamline residence permit procedures, the Portuguese Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) launched online appointment scheduling for international higher education students and highly qualified professionals without a visa, and on 19 December for acquiring long-term resident status. Permits that expired by 30 June 2025 and were renewed through AIMA’s Mission Structure remain valid until 15 April 2026. Since September 2023, the Mission Structure has assisted 763,509 immigrants, issuing 311,316 residence cards. Services are further supported by 179 local CLAIM centres, established through partnerships with municipalities, universities, NGOs, and migrant associations, promoting integration and access to documentation.