Portugal’s Parliament has given final approval to a package of amendments to the country’s immigration law. The bill has now been sent to the President for signature. If signed into law, it will significantly reshape Portugal’s immigration rules.

What’s changing:

Students will only be able to move through a visa.
International students will no longer be allowed to apply for a residence permit after arriving in Portugal, whether they are enrolled at a university or in QNQ Level 4 or 5 vocational programmes. Instead, they will first need to obtain a residence visa in their country of residence before relocating. The only exception applies to school-age students.
Family reunification has been restricted.
Parents will no longer be able to obtain a residence permit through a child who holds a Portuguese residence permit. The only remaining exception is for parents of children who are Portuguese citizens and permanently reside in Portugal.
Those who lose their legal status will have to leave.
People who lose their right to remain in Portugal will be given 20 to 30 days to leave the country. Departure orders will be entered into the Schengen Information System (SIS), and those subject to forced removal may be held in a temporary detention centre for up to one year.

The biggest unanswered question is what will happen to applications that have already been submitted. The law contains no transitional provisions for most procedures, meaning that everything will depend on how AIMA and the courts interpret and apply the new rules once they come into force.

The amendments have already been criticised by judicial bodies, the Portuguese Bar Association, AIMA, UNHCR and Amnesty International. A detailed breakdown of all the changes and the most controversial provisions is available here.