Immigration
in Portugal: recent trends & policy debates
MetroMed,
Milan, 11 December 2003
Maria
Lucinda Fonseca
&
Meghann Ormond
Centro
de Estudos Geográficos, Univ. de Lisboa
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)
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)
Evolution of legally resident foreign
population in Portugal, by continent of origin, 1980-99
Source: Fonseca et al., 2002
Documented foreigners
with a residence permit, by main countries of nationality, 2000
Source: Fonseca and Esteves, 2002, pp.
258
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
Numerical
change in documented foreigners, by main countries of nationality, 1997-2001
PALOP = Portuguese-speaking
African countries
Source: Fonseca, 2003
(forthcoming)
New sending countries
Diversification of sending
countries
Development of a migratory
flow from Eastern Europe, namely from:
Ukraine
Moldova
Romania
Russia
Main nationalities of
immigrants with a residence permit in Portugal, 2001
Total
immigrants:223,976 / Top 10 nationalities:175,696 (78.4%)
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)
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.
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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.
Work
contracts made with immigrants holding permanence permits, by employment
sector and countries of origin (%)
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.
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.
The promotion of legal immigration
according to the country’s labour market needs;
The effective or real integration
of immigrants;
The fight against illegal
immigration.
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.
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).
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.
Integration
Policy: Practices & Partnerships
Education & Health
LMA = Lisbon Metropolitan
Area
Source: Fonseca et al., 2002
Integration
Policy: Practices & Partnerships
Social Assistance & Culture
ACIME = High Commissariat on Immigration
& Ethnic Minorities
Integration
Policy: Practices & Partnerships
Information Society & Political Participation
Integration
Policy: Practices & Partnerships
Housing & Employment
Sources
Fonseca, Maria Lucinda (2003, forthcoming)
- " Dinâmicas de Integração dos imigrantes: estratégias
e protagonistas."
Fonseca, 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.