Portugal Sees 60% Rise in Residency Permits, 2025 Backlog Cleared

Portugal’s immigration agency reported a sharp rise in residence approvals this year, saying it issued 386,463 residency permits by October 22, 2025, a 60% jump over the same period in 2024. Officials said the surge reflects an aggressive push to process a long-standing backlog of cases rather than a new wave of arrivals, and warned that new entries are likely to slow under stricter rules passed this month.

Reason for the surge: clearing a backlog

The Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) said most of the 2025 increase stems from clearing old files, many tied to the now-ended “manifestation of interest” pathway. That route allowed people already living and working in Portugal to apply for legal status without leaving the country.

The government ended that system in June 2024, and AIMA has since focused on working through pending applications that piled up before the rule change. According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the end of this pathway set the stage for a year in which approvals would reflect administrative catch-up rather than fresh demand.

The surge in approvals largely represents an administrative cleanup, not a renewed inflow of migrants.

Portugal: Backlog Clearance, End of Onshore Regularisation Pathway, and Oct 16, 2025 Immigration Law Tightening

Policy Milestones

June 2024: Manifestation pathway ended

Oct 16, 2025: Immigration Law signed

Oct 22, 2025: Data snapshot

Data snapshot: 386,463 permits issued by Oct 22, 2025 (60% vs 2024), reflecting backlog clearance after the June 2024 end of the onshore “manifestation of interest.” The Oct 16, 2025 law tightens job-seeker visas, tourist-to-residence conversions, family reunification timing, and naturalization benchmarks.

↑ Improvement ↓ Stricter → Neutral

BEFORE (2024)

Residency permit approvals (volume)

236,030 permits issued by the same date in 2024.

2024

→Baseline volume prior to backlog clearance.

Manifestation of interest pathway

Allowed people already living and working in Portugal to apply for legal status onshore.

→Enabled onshore regularisation for many lower-wage workers.

Job-seeker visas

Accessible to a wider range of job-seekers (including lower-skilled routes previously used to regularize onshore).

→Broader eligibility supported diverse applicant profiles.

Conversion of tourist stays (Portuguese-speaking countries)

People from Portuguese-speaking countries could convert a tourist stay into a residence permit.

→Provided a flexible path from visit to residence.

Family reunification timing

Family reunification could be filed sooner (pre-law flexible timelines implied).

→Earlier filing supported quicker family unity.

Naturalization requirements

Fewer formal benchmarks referenced for naturalization in earlier practice.

→Lower formal thresholds to qualify.

AFTER (2025)

Residency permit approvals (volume) 60% ↑

386,463 permits issued by Oct 22, 2025 (60% increase).

2025

↑Positive for people with pending applications; reflects administrative backlog clearance.

Manifestation of interest pathway Ended

Pathway ended in June 2024; no longer available.

↓Negative for onshore regularisation; fewer future options for lower-wage workers.

Job-seeker visas Restricted

Now limited to highly qualified professionals only (Oct 16, 2025 law).

↓Negative for general job-seekers; narrows eligibility to the highly qualified.

Conversion of tourist stays Prohibited

Conversion of tourist stays into residence permits is no longer permitted for Portuguese-speaking countries.

↓Negative for visitors seeking to transition to residence without exiting.

Family reunification timing New prerequisite

Main resident must complete two years of lawful residence in most cases before filing for close relatives.

↓Negative for families; pushes reunification further out.

Naturalization requirements Tightened

Applicants must demonstrate Portuguese language skills and basic civic knowledge (formal benchmarks introduced).

↓Negative for long-term residents who lack formal language/civic preparation.

Key Changes (Effective milestones: June 2024; Oct 16, 2025; snapshot Oct 22, 2025)

• Permit volume spike: 236,030 → 386,463 by Oct 22, 2025 (↑60%), driven by backlog clearance.
• Onshore “manifestation of interest” pathway ended (June 2024).
• Job-seeker visas now limited to highly qualified professionals (Oct 16, 2025 law).
• No more tourist-to-residence conversions for Portuguese-speaking countries.
• Family reunification: two years of lawful residence required before filing in most cases.
• Naturalization: formal Portuguese language and basic civic knowledge benchmarks introduced.

Impact Analysis

• People with pending residency applications: short-term approvals improved due to backlog clearance.
• New applicants (especially skilled workers applying from abroad): pathways shift toward highly qualified profiles.
• Lower-wage workers and those using flexible onshore routes: fewer entry and regularisation options.
• Families seeking reunification: longer wait due to two-year residence prerequisite.
• Long-term residents seeking naturalization: added language and civic requirements raise the bar.
• Employers in hospitality and construction sectors: tighter labor inflows likely, especially for lower-skilled roles.

Data snapshot: October 22, 2025

Outlook for new arrivals under the new law

AIMA president Pedro Portugal Gaspar expects the number of newcomers in 2025 to be about half of the intake seen in 2023. He linked the expected drop to the new Immigration Law signed on October 16, 2025, which adds tighter conditions on work and family visas.

• Government position:
  • The changes create a more orderly system focused on skilled roles and clearer rules.
• Critics’ view:
  • The law raises barriers for families and lower-wage workers who have helped fill key jobs.

Key changes in the Immigration Law

The legislation narrows several routes into legal stay and tightens naturalization requirements.

Major changes include:

• Job seeker visas:
  • Now limited to highly qualified professionals.
  • This closes an avenue for many workers who once pursued entry-level positions and regularized status later.
• Conversion of tourist stays:
  • People from Portuguese-speaking countries can no longer convert a tourist stay into a residence permit.
  • This affects migrants who relied on phased steps toward permanence.
• Family reunification:
  • In most cases, the main resident must now complete two years of lawful residence before filing to bring close relatives.
  • Limited exceptions apply for specific situations.
• Naturalization:
  • Applicants must demonstrate Portuguese language skills and basic civic knowledge.
  • These are formal benchmarks that require earlier preparation by long-term residents.

Warning: Families hoping to reunite should note the new two-year requirement — advocates warn it will lengthen separations, while authorities argue it ensures financial stability.

Current migrant population and permit statistics

• By the end of 2024, Portugal had roughly 1.5 million foreign citizens — a population that has almost quadrupled since 2017.
• AIMA reports about 71% of those residents hold formal residence permits.
• The agency issued 386,463 permits by October 22, 2025, compared with 236,030 during the same period last year — a substantial year-over-year increase driven mainly by backlog clearance.

AIMA frames the year’s approval surge as a clearing operation intended to stabilize the system. The push to finalize earlier files is now well advanced, preparing the way for a new baseline shaped by the recent law.

Implications for labor markets and services

The new baseline is expected to show:

• Fewer first-time entries
• More scrutiny of job offers
• Greater emphasis on qualifications

Sectors such as hospitality and construction, which relied on workers who arrived through flexible pathways, are watching to see whether the policy reduces the available labor pool.

Local councils, employers, and community groups say they need clear timelines and stable processing to plan for:

• Hiring
• Housing
• Schooling

The government believes tighter rules will deliver that order, while community groups fear gaps in application could disrupt families and services.

Impact on people with pending files

For those already in Portugal with pending files, the acceleration has provided relief after months or years in limbo. Many are now receiving residence cards and gaining firmer access to services and jobs.

At the same time:

• Families face longer timelines for reunification because of the two-year residence requirement.
• Advocates worry this will prolong family separation; authorities say it helps ensure financial stability before family expansion.

The end of the “manifestation of interest” pathway

That pathway once created a large wave of applications that overwhelmed regional offices and extended processing times. By closing it in mid-2024 and reallocating resources to clearance, AIMA converted a backlog into a spike in approvals.

• Benefit: Restores predictability and aligns published rules with operational practice.
• Consequence: Fewer onshore pathways for regularization going forward.

What prospective migrants should expect

Under the new framework, Portugal is unlikely to see the same volume of people arriving and then regularizing status through onshore applications. Instead:

• More applicants will need to qualify from abroad with clear job offers in skilled roles.
• Family and study pathways will face stricter conditions.

This marks a shift from an era of relatively flexible entry points that matched fast-growing industries and aging regions.

Final observations and next steps

Officials point to the numbers as evidence that Portugal can both honor previous commitments and tighten future inflows. Issuing more than 386,000 permits by late October, up from 236,030 the previous year, shows the system is catching up.

However, AIMA’s forecast of roughly a 50% drop in new arrivals compared with 2023 signals a turning point that will shape labor markets, schools, and local services in the year ahead.

Key takeaway: The clearance of backlogged applications has produced large approval numbers in 2025, but the new Immigration Law is likely to reduce future arrivals and change the composition of migrants entering Portugal.

AIMA has encouraged applicants and employers to follow official updates on requirements and processing times. The agency’s website, including guidance for different residence categories and service appointments, remains the primary source of official information for procedural steps and deadlines.

For details on residence requests, renewals, and current rules, readers can consult AIMA.