The Portuguese government, led by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, is enacting a sweeping reform of its immigration and nationality laws, a move the administration says fulfills a long-held promise to establish a policy with “regulation and humanism, with doors neither wide open nor locked shut.”
In a recent address to parliament, Prime Minister Montenegro emphasized that the changes are a response to listening to the Portuguese people and are crucial for the nation. “This is not a one-way focus of this government, but it is an issue of extreme importance,” .
A central element of the reform is the creation of the National Unit for Foreigners and Borders (UNEF) within the Public Security Police (PSP). This new body will have exclusive authority over border control, in-country inspections of foreign nationals, and the execution of removal orders for those not in compliance with regulations. The government has highlighted that it was their administration that successfully established this unit after a similar proposal was previously rejected.
The reforms, approved by Parliament in July 2025, also bring significant changes to the law governing foreign nationals.
Key amendments include:
Tighter Family Reunification: Foreign residents will now need to have lived legally in Portugal for at least two years before they can apply to bring family members into the country.
Restricted Job-Seeker Visas: The visa for individuals seeking work will now be limited to highly-qualified professionals.This ends a previous system that allowed non-highly-qualified individuals to regularize their status after finding employment in Portugal.
End of “Expression of Interest”: The reform terminates the mechanism known as “manifestação de interesse,” which allowed non-EU nationals who entered on tourist visas to apply for residency.
Furthermore, the government has proposed significant changes to Portugal’s nationality law, signaling a more stringent path to citizenship.The draft law suggests increasing the legal residency requirement for naturalization from five years to ten for most applicants, and to seven years for citizens from Portuguese-speaking countries.
“”It was this government that ensured the revision of the foreigners’ law… And it was also this government that proposed the amendment to the nationality law, ensuring that Portuguese citizenship will be granted to those who are effectively dedicated to our country, live our language, live our culture, and choose our country as their own to be also one of us,” Prime Minister Montenegro declared in his parliamentary speech.
The government maintains that these changes will create an “efficient, structured migratory policy that is adjusted to its current needs.”