Legal status news in Portugal

Illegal immigrants: “they go from one European country to another” in search of legalisation and end up in Portugal

Bastos Leitão, chief superintendent of the PSP, speaks about the warning issued by this security force regarding the arrival of immigrants in an irregular situation in Portugal.

Is Lebull legal in Portugal? Licences and reputation

An analysis of the legal status, licensing, and reputation of the betting platform Lebull in the Portuguese market.

Portugal arrests 240 foreigners for ‘illegal permanence in country’ since ‘cracking down on border controls’

Portuguese-Venezuelan man released, unaware of his legal status and in need of psychological support

Mariela Ferreira reveals that when her brother was notified he would be released, he did not believe it and “it was his colleagues who had to help him react.”

4 PM: Prime Minister states that over 200,000 Brazilian immigrants have been legalised in two years

The Prime Minister reported that more than 200,000 Brazilian immigrants have obtained legal status within the last two years.

AIMA assures that immigrants remain legal even with expired documents

The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) stated on Friday, April 17, that immigrants with expired documents who have ongoing processes with Portuguese authorities are not at risk of being considered irregular. Following the end of the latest administrative extension on April 15, immigrants awaiting new documents can use an online certificate from the AIMA portal to prove their legal status. AIMA clarified that foreign citizens with pending renewal or regularisation applications are not in an irregular situation. The agency noted that since March 2020, residency permits had been automatically extended without effective verification, but the current government has intervened to restore state control and monitoring. AIMA reported that out of approximately 100,000 renewal cases since June 2025, 90,000 have reached a final decision. While immigrant associations, such as Casa do Brasil de Lisboa, have expressed concerns regarding persistent delays in receiving physical residency cards, AIMA maintains that proof of a pending application or a certificate of approval is sufficient to ensure legal status.

PSP returned two Brazilians per day between January and February

In an interview, the head of the PSP's return department discusses the challenges of managing migration processes, the integration of the National Unit for Foreigners and Borders (UNEF), and the increase in voluntary returns, while advising immigrants to ensure their legal status before arriving in Portugal.

Nearly 3,000 Nepalese at risk of expulsion from Portugal due to fake stamp scam

Immigrants submitted a genuine criminal record certificate in their regularisation applications, but with a stamp that proved to be fake.

RASI: 23,000 immigrants notified to leave the country in a single year, 252 were expelled (five times more than in 2023)

Portugal records a record increase in notifications to leave the country; the effective removal rate increased even before the new law. Immigration enforcement actions increased, but found little more than a thousand illegal residents in the national territory. Crimes committed by immigrants remain stable (and Hindustani individuals are not among those most identified).

Six irregular immigrants notified during inspection operation in the Lisbon area

An inspection operation targeting the restaurant sector was also carried out.