Portugal amends law to facilitate immigration
Portugal, faced with a lack of manpower in the tourism and construction sectors, has modified its "foreigners' law" to facilitate immigration, including provisions for "digital nomads."
Portugal, faced with a lack of manpower in the tourism and construction sectors, has modified its "foreigners' law" to facilitate immigration, including provisions for "digital nomads."
The growing demand for cheap labor in Portugal has created opportunities for migrant workers. But it has also increased the risks of exploitation and human trafficking. A group of experts has called on Portuguese authorities to do more to tackle the problem.
Europe's demand for fruit has turned Portugal's Alentejo region into a goldmine for landowners and corporations. Their laborers are mostly Asians hoping for a better life. But they pay a high price.
European countries are working out how to provide education and integration opportunities to the more than four million people who have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February. Two million of them are children, according to UNESCO.
Portugal and Morocco signed an agreement on Wednesday, highlighting legal minutiae for Moroccans to come to live and work in the EU member state. The deal is part of ongoing efforts to fight illegal migration and human trafficking on both sides.
Forced to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, members of the Afghan women's youth football team and their families have sought refuge in Portugal and are back training in the Lisbon suburbs.
Farm laborers from Asia flock to the European country known for its booming agricultural exports. The workers are often brought by gangs of traffickers and are forced to endure inhumane living conditions.
The Portuguese government has said it will do away with its controversial Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF). But neither its own staff union nor migrant advocacy groups are happy about the new solution of putting other police forces in charge.
Migrants in Portugal, especially undocumented ones, are among those affected by a boom in tourism and gentrification. A Portuguese photographer has been documenting their plight in Lisbon as they are forced to move to abandoned buildings on the outskirts of the capital.
Portugal has started talks with other EU member states about the bloc's proposed asylum and migration pact. The aim is to find common ground and overcome differences, a statement from the Portuguese interior ministry said.
2020 has been a difficult year for many people the world over. A global health pandemic, economic problems and even more people displaced than before were just some of the challenges we all faced. But to try and spread a bit of cheer as the year comes to a close, InfoMigrants decided to look back at some of the positive stories we featured. Here’s a few focusing on how migrants helped their communities pull through the dark times.
The European Union looks poised to find broad political agreement on a new EU migration pact. German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said that the 27 member states might be able to adopt the new legislation before the end of the year.