Portugal grants 5,883 work visas as Migration Action Plan hits 75% completion

What the regulated work migration protocol does

Portugal's government reported its Migration Action Plan is 75% complete, with the central operational shift being a consular-based hiring route for foreign workers, per a May 28 update. Employers channel hires through Portuguese consulates in the worker's country of origin instead of routing applications through domestic immigration channels.

The protocol has produced 8,435 requests and 5,883 granted visas across 40 consulates so far, the government said. Officials tied the reform to backlog clearance and roughly 500,000 residence cards issued since implementation began two years ago. Portugal's foreigner-law revisions took effect Oct. 23, 2025 and AIMA has since opened online appointment scheduling for international higher education students and highly qualified professionals without a visa, according to EU Commission reporting.

Who feels the change

Foreign workers with a Portuguese employer are the primary beneficiaries because the regulated migration track is built around company-sponsored hires processed abroad. Expats already in Portugal may see indirect gains as residence-card processing speeds up and the AIMA backlog shrinks.

Digital nomads and tourists are largely outside the scope of this specific reform. The protocol covers regulated work migration, not the D8 nomad visa, short-stay entries or tourism routes. Anyone applying for a residence or work permit from abroad still goes through the standard consular channel.

How to apply through the consular route

Workers can't initiate the regulated migration protocol on their own. The Portuguese employer files through the protocol, then the worker submits the visa application at the Portuguese consulate covering their country of residence.

The May 28 update doesn't introduce a new fee schedule or universal requirement set, so costs and documents still depend on the specific visa category and the consulate handling the file. Applicants should check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Diplomatic Portal and the relevant consulate's instructions before booking an appointment.

A few practical points to confirm with the consulate:

• Whether the employer is registered under the regulated migration protocol
• Document list and translation requirements for the specific work visa category
• Current appointment availability, which varies sharply between consulates

Read our full Portugal guide for the complete picture and check our latest visa updates for related policy moves.