The Brazilians have been waiting for more than four months for their Portuguese work visas to be processed.
Delays in visa applications have caused concern among Brazilian workers who fear losing their job offers in Portugal, Schengen.News reports.
Some Brazilian citizens report having to wait at least 120 days for their work visa to be processed. Jonas Gutemberg da Silva, from Pernambuco, told Public Brazil that he received the visa on June 26, while the visa application for work purposes was submitted on February 20.
After submitting the work visa documents to the Portuguese consulate, it took 127 days to get everything sorted. I submitted the application on February 20th and received the visa on June 26th.
Delays in visa applications jeopardise job opportunities
The delays in processing visa applications in Portugal pose obstacles for Brazilian citizens who already have a job, studies or rented accommodation in that country.
Brazilians make up about 25 percent of the foreign population in Portugal. In addition, figures from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE) showed that between 2022 and 2023, the number of Portuguese visa applications from Brazilian nationals increased by a total of 89 percent.
Felipe Quadros Pereira from Rio Grande do Sul told Oglobal that he quit his job in his home country of Brazil after having a contract with a company in Portugal and had been waiting for a work visa since July 19.
I find myself between two worlds: Tramandaí (RS) and Setúbal, since I have already terminated the ties with my old company and have a signed contract with the future company.
End of the expression of interest route
In June this year, the Portuguese government announced a total of 41 measures of the Migration Action Plan. Among the changes introduced was the abolition of the Expression of Interest Route.
The expression of interest procedure allowed non-EU citizens to travel to Portugal by applying for a tourist visa, taking up employment and then submitting an expression of interest to obtain a residence permit.
Announcing the new changes, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said it was necessary to regulate immigration to give people dignity.
The decision means that Brazilians travelling to Portugal on a tourist visa can only visit Portugal as tourists. If they receive a job offer, they must return to their country of origin and apply for the relevant visas and permits at the Portuguese consulate before returning to Portugal to accept the job offer.
According to figures from the Portuguese Immigration and Border Protection Agency (SEF), there are around 350,000 visa applications waiting to be processed by the Portuguese authorities. The processing could take around 18 months.
