Key Takeaways

·      The plan of Portugal to speed up work visa processing is being threatened by the country’s backlogs.

·      The government proposed that applications be processed within a period of 20 days.

·      Scepticism has been raised about this goal as the country has a large number of applications it needs to process.

The Portuguese government has proposed that the country launches a new route that will offer faster processing of temporary work visas and residence permit applications for foreigners who have received a job offer.

However, taking into account the large number of requests that the Portuguese consulates have been receiving and the backlog of applications, there is scepticism that the authorities will be able to provide responses within this given period, Schengen.News reports.

Data show that the Portuguese consulates, especially the one in Brazil, are flooded with applications for work visas. This is causing long delays, which in some cases extend to more than six months.

Commenting on the delays, Immigration lawyer Priscila Corrêa said that consulates do not have enough resources to accommodate all applications, O Globo explains.

The same further stressed that the authorities need to take all the necessary steps to ensure that applicants no longer have to have delays of over six months.

“Why is there a problem with the arrival of immigrants? Because the consulates did not properly assess what needed to be changed. Visas are stuck, some for more than six months.”

–       Immigration Lawyer Priscila Corrêa

In addition, Portugal’s Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) is dealing with a large number of applications, which has led to months-long delays.

To help remedy the situation, during a meeting with Portuguese business leaders, the government introduced the so-called “green route” plan to simplify the entry of foreign workers to the country.

Nonetheless, critics have said that this plan will not work unless the country’s consulates and AIMA are organised and adequately staffed.