Immigration in Portugal: recent trends

1
Immigration in Portugal recent trends policy
debates

• MetroMed, Milan, 11 December 2003
• Maria Lucinda Fonseca
• Meghann Ormond
• Centro de Estudos Geográficos, Univ. de Lisboa

2
An overview of immigration in Portugal

• Like other Southern European countries, Portugal
  has its own strong tradition of emigration
  immigration, and social and political responses
  to it, are comparably recent
• Portugal only became a migration destination in
  the 1970s, with the fall of the dictatorship
  the independence of its former African colonies
  (Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde
  São Tomé e Príncipe) that also brought back
  hundreds of thousands of Portuguese who were
  living in the colonies (retornados)

3

• Most immigrants retornados ended up settling in
  the Lisbon Metro Area, a trend that continues
  today for most immigrants (except EU citizens
  those involved in the agricultural sector),
  other urban areas throughout the country (though
  to a lesser extent)

4
Evolution of legally resident foreign population
in Portugal, by continent of origin, 1980-99
Source Fonseca et al., 2002
5
Documented foreigners with a residence permit, by
main countries of nationality, 2000
Source Fonseca and Esteves, 2002, pp. 258
6
The new geography of immigration to Portugal

• Since the late 1990s, the geography of
  immigration to Portugal has undergone truly
  profound changes, from that which has to do with
  recruitment to the geographic patterns of
  immigrant settlement in Portugal

7
Numerical change in documented foreigners, by
main countries of nationality, 1997-2001
PALOP Portuguese-speaking African
countries Source Fonseca, 2003 (forthcoming)
8
New sending countries

• Diversification of sending countries
• Development of a migratory flow from Eastern
  Europe, namely from
• Ukraine
• Moldova
• Romania
• Russia

9
Main nationalities of immigrants with a residence
permit in Portugal, 2001
Total immigrants223,976 / Top 10
nationalities175,696 (78.4)
10
Main nationalities of immigrants with a
permanence permit in Portugal, 2001 2002
Total immigrants 174,558 / Top 15 nationalities
163,242 (93.5) Source Fonseca, 2003
(forthcoming)
11
New settlement patterns in Portugal

• Despite the fact that the majority resides in the
  Lisbon Metropolitan Area, it is possible to find
  them throughout the country, spreading themselves
  out in relationship to the work opportunities
  available in each region.

12
Foreign population with registered work contracts
valid for receiving a permanence permit, by
region of origin and region (NUT II) of
settlement in mainland Portugal (31/12/2001)
Only the four main nationalities are included
(Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and Russia)
Includes only the 3 main nationalities Cape
Verde, Angola and Guinea-Bissau)
Source Fonseca and Malheiros, 2003
13
Settlement patterns of documented immigrants
living in Portugal Stock (residence permits) and
permanence permits, 31/12/2001
Residence permits (Stock), 2001 ()
Permanence permits, 2001 ()
Source Fonseca, 2003 (forthcoming)
14
2001 Distribution of EU citizens living in
Portugal

• Highest concentrations in the Lisbon Metro Area
  Algarve Region
• Retirees settling in the Algarve from the UK,
  Germany the Netherlands

15
2001 Distribution of PALOP citizens living in
Portugal

• Highest concentration in the Lisbon Metro Area
  general settlement in urban areas
• Arrival began with independence of the former
  colonies in the 1970s
• Employed in construction office/domestic
  cleaning

PALOP Portuguese-speaking African countries
16
2001 Distribution of Brazilian citizens living in
Portugal

• Highest concentration in the Lisbon Metro Area
• Arrival began in the 1970s, with the fall of the
  dictatorship in PT
• Employed in construction the service sector

17
2001 Distribution of (Non-EU) European citizens
living in Portugal

• Highest concentrations in the Lisbon Metro Area
  the Algarve Region, but also spread out in rural
  areas
• Arrival began in the late 1990s, with the
  initiation of large-scale construction projects
• Employed in construction the agricultural sector

18
Professional level

• Eastern European immigrants, although they have
  relatively high educational and professional
  qualifications, they are employed in low-paying
  and socially-undervalued jobs, such as
  construction (men) and industrial cleaning and
  domestic work (women).
• However, there is a significant percentage of
  Eastern Europeans working in agriculture,
  especially in the Alentejo, Ribatejo and Oeste
  Regions, as well as in some types of more
  work-intensive industries in the Northern Region.

19
Work contracts made with immigrants holding
permanence permits, by employment sector and
countries of origin ()
20
Policy debates

• The recent massive increase of immigration to
  Portugal, especially the new migratory wave
  coming from Eastern Europe, has made waves in the
  media and has prompted a great national debate
  about immigration policy.

21
The terms of the policy debates

• The new immigration law, published on 25
  February 2003, brings some new issues into the
  immigration debate.
• The coalition government of Social Democrats and
  Christian-Democrats that took office in April
  2002 has drawn a more complex and elaborate law
  based on three arguments.

22

• The promotion of legal immigration according to
  the countrys labour market needs
• The effective or real integration of immigrants
• The fight against illegal immigration.

23
Management of migration

• The Government establishes a maximum annual limit
  for entries of third country nationals onto the
  national territory, and workers coming to
  Portugal must hold a labour visa or a residence
  permit.
• The term quota is not mentioned in the law, but
  the quota principle is used. A new kind of work
  visa, for scientific and research activities, was
  created with the goal of keeping scientists and
  highly skilled people in Portugal.

24

• Most of the institutions which opinion is taken
  into account for the elaboration of the report on
  labour import are closely related to the labour
  market rather than to the immigrant field.
• Immigrant associations and NGOs are only
  represented by the ACIME, and in its new and more
  complex structure, through the Consultative
  Council for Immigration Issues (COCAI).

25

• SEF now has more power and less bureaucratic
  procedures to follow when removing undocumented
  foreigners from the country.
• The reference to the geographical unit
  distritos as hosting areas is also remarkable
  because there had never been a reference to the
  settlement regions until now, immigrants were
  absolutely free to choose their areas of
  residence.

26
Integration Policy Practices
PartnershipsEducation Health
LMA Lisbon Metropolitan Area
Source Fonseca et al., 2002
27
Integration Policy Practices
PartnershipsSocial Assistance Culture
ACIME High Commissariat on Immigration Ethnic
Minorities
28
Integration Policy Practices
PartnershipsInformation Society Political
Participation
29
Integration Policy Practices
PartnershipsHousing Employment
30
Sources Fonseca, Maria Lucinda (2003,
forthcoming) - " Dinâmicas de Integração dos
imigrantes estratégias e protagonistas." Fonsec
a, Maria Lucinda Caldeira, Maria José Esteves,
Alina (2002) - "New Forms of  Migration into the
European South Challenges for Citizenship and
Governance. The Portuguese Case", International
Journal of Population Geography, vol. 8 (2), pp.
135-152. Fonseca, Maria Lucinda Malheiros,
Jorge Esteves, Alina Caldeira, Maria José
(2002) - Immigrants in Lisbon Routes of
integration, Lisbon, Centro de Estudos
Geográficos, Estudos para o Planeamento Regional
e Urbano, nº 56. Fonseca, Maria Lucinda
Esteves, Alina (2002) - Migration and New
Religion Townscapes in Lisbon, in Fonseca et
al., Immigration and Place in Mediterranean
Metropolises, Lisbon, Luso-American Foundation,
pp. 255-289. Fonseca, Maria Lucinda Malheiros,
J. M. (2003) - "Nouvelle Immigration, Marché du
Travail et Competitivité des Régions
Portugaises", Géographie, Économie, Societé -
Revue Scientifique Internationale, vol. 4, nº
2.