Government creates new work visa

The Portuguese government has created a new visa to make it easy to attract talent and much-needed staff to Portugal.

The move, which was approved on Thursday at a meeting of the Council of Ministers, aims to shake up the employment market and attract human resources to Portugal.
The tourism sector, for example, is understaffed by an estimated 15-20,000, particularly in the hotels segment.
The visa is aimed at attracting people to Portugal for a period of 120 days which can be extended, if necessary, by a further 60 days.
A temporary residency visa for digital nomads is also to be introduced. The measures introduced aim to make working in Portugal easier, by simplifying and speeding up administrative processes, making it easier for migrant workers. Portugal has a chronic shortage of manpower in other area too such as construction.
Portugal is the second country in the world with the biggest talent retention problem with 67% of Portuguese employers saying they can’t find the right candidates and 18% finding it difficult to hire people according to a study by Manpower Group.
Up until now the Portuguese government worked on an immigration quotas basis for residency visas for work, but has now scrapped it as anachronistic.
The temporary visa concession for up to 180 days will also apply to workers from the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP).