Qualified and wanted Brazilians in Portugal criticize immigration treatment

• Only qualified: Job search visa in Portugal for all professions ends
• Opportunities: Portugal is a favorite destination for millions of Brazilians with higher education

The talent gap in the IT field is said to be around 20,000 professionals. A single company contributed to the immigration of two thousand Brazilians, as shown in the Giro de Portugal.

The government’s anti-immigration program, approved in Parliament, limits job-seeking visas to qualified people, confirming the lack of specialized labor and promising facilities.

The problem is that the changes that affect future immigrants are not regulated. And those who are considered qualified and already living and working in the country are critical of AIMA’s treatment.

Qualified Brazilians plan to create an association to give visibility to the fight for regularization. Even if everything is in order, they say they face redundant bureaucracy.

Brazilian Fernanda Coelho is an engineer and works in data analysis and engineering in an IT consultancy firm. His idea was to create the association to give “a voice and legal support to professionals”.

— We are thousands of workers, most of whom arrived recruited by local companies, already with a visa sponsored by Brazil — she declared, adding:

— We arrived confident, we invested everything in change and we brought our families. We never imagined going through these bureaucratic obstacles, which generate emotional exhaustion, instability and compromise our plans, even if we fulfill all our obligations.

According to her, “there are numerous reports of delays in AIMA, difficulties in family reunification, inability to travel for work” and, now, additional bureaucracy.

— Recently, a major bottleneck has been the request for a sworn declaration for the accommodation, signed by the tenant. There are owners who refuse and the process remains undecided, she said.

A letter serving as an honorary commitment to certify the ability to maintain housing has been created to add a new requirement on top of the rental agreement.

Fernanda de Castro, a data analyst at a logistics company, explained how her process got stuck due to the lack of a new requirement, despite having a regular contract:

— I sent the contract signed by me and the owner, registered on the Finance portal. Still, they said I needed the honor letter. I had a big argument with the owner, who didn’t want to sign it. I sent the letter with just my signature and all the documents I had and I’m still waiting.

Fernanda entered Portugal after being hired in Brazil. Landed in 2022 authorized by a D3 visa, for highly qualified worker.

— I have suspended the residency renewal process since June and am waiting for the approval of the housing documents, because I have sent everything they asked for and, despite this, they claim that I do not have housing. I can’t travel for work and I can’t apply for a loan,” she said.

Program development engineer in one of the largest consulting companies in the country, in Porto, Arthur Costa has already arrived in Portugal in 2022 with an employment contract. Since May, he has had to deal with additional bureaucracy to renew his residence permit:

— After submitting all the documents and presenting myself in person at the government mission, the process changed, requiring a criminal record with a Hague apostille and a signature of the owner under oath of honor, even though the contract is in my name and registered on the Finance portal.

Without valid authorization, Arthur cannot leave Portugal at the risk of not being able to return. He postpones his trip to Brazil to visit his family.

— The biggest difficulty is knowing that I cannot go to Brazil to see my father, who is currently suffering from very serious kidney failure and is on hemodialysis — he said, adding:

— My current status is “your case is awaiting a decision from AIMA”.

Director of a civil engineering company in Setúbal, Felipe Pereira is stuck in the residence permit procedure and has contradictory information. It has already been approved, sent back “for decision” and the only thing left is uncertainty:

— It was like “Approved. Card Pending.” It came back to “awaiting decision” and then was “denied”. I was told that I did not have regular status with Finance and Social Security. So I submitted it, as requested, and it was approved again. While waiting for the card…

He had already faced administrative formalities at the consulate in Porto Alegre when seeking a visa last year. Without a residence permit, life does not go well in Portugal.

— I cannot complete the process of obtaining my driving license, benefit from free movement in the common area of ​​the European Union or change my tax residence — he declared.

AIMA launched a website for booking qualified professionals in November, but complaints are increasing. Contacted, the agency did not respond.