Six out of ten job-seeking visas granted by the Portuguese government were issued by consular posts in Brazil. Created to encourage regular migration and address the lack of professionals in Portugal, the new visa opened the application period in November last year. From there until mid-March, 2,865 immigrants obtained the document. Of these, 63.73% were approved in Brazil, according to data confirmed to Agora Europa by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Even with the promise of facilitating access to the labor market for those entering the country, foreigners face barriers to using the visa on Portuguese soil. It was the launch of the new visa that brought the certainty that Magno Danilo Freitas e Silva, 25 years old, born in Tocantins, was looking to immigrate.
Since Magno started planning to leave Brazil with his wife, in early 2022, Portugal has stood out as the most accessible place for Brazilians in searches carried out on the internet. However, the civil engineer did not want to move as a tourist and face the long process of regularization in the country through the Expression of Interest (IM) process, with an average period of two years to receive the residency. The launch of the job search visa was the opportunity I had been waiting for.
The professional requested the document at the end of November and received approval in mid-January. On the 2nd of February, he landed in Portugal with the feeling of security that he had a visa in hand. A few days later, however, the Tocantins native saw that the document would not be as useful as he thought: “It seems that the government forgot to notify companies and the government itself that foreigners would arrive in the country to look for work with this visa”, vents the Brazilian .
The difficulty began at the offices of the Institute of Employment and Professional Training (IEFP), the place to register in search of a job. According to the immigrant, the agency’s employees were unaware of the existence of the visa. In addition, Magno was denied assistance in several places: “I went to the IEFP in Coimbra, Lamego, Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto and Caldas da Rainha, nobody knew”, says Magno.
To be accepted by the institute, the native of Tocantins covered hundreds of kilometers in three weeks. The immigrant managed to register only in Torres Vedras, a city located 170 kilometers from Coimbra, where he resides.
After overcoming the initial stage, another surprise: the companies to which Magno sent his resume did not know or did not accept the visa: “I was eliminated in four different vacancies because of that”, recalls the Brazilian.
After many no’s, Magno had to resort to what thousands of Brazilians do in Portugal: filing an Expression of Interest with the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF). According to the man from Tocantins, this was the only way he found to not miss out on a job offer in the telemarketing area: “In other words, the visa only served to pass through immigration smoothly. Here, it’s useless. I didn’t know it was like that, if I had known I would have prepared myself psychologically for it”, vents the Brazilian.
Despite the setbacks, however, Magno said he was enjoying the country. Now, the Brazilian hopes to get a Residence Permit (AR) to be able to bring his wife, who stayed in Brazil: “Here I feel safe, the cities and buildings are beautiful, and we will be able to travel, as we like”, hopes the immigrant.
Weeks of waiting for essential documents
Like Magno, 20-year-old Samira Bento from Rio Grande do Sul immigrated to Portugal with a job search visa in hand on January 25. The reality found in the country, however, was also different from that promised by the Portuguese government.
The rules surrounding the new job search visa provide for less bureaucracy in obtaining the necessary documents to work in the country. Thus, the immigrant would already arrive with the Tax Identification Number (NIF), equivalent to the CPF of Brazil, and the Social Security Registration Number (NISS) assigned. Both documents are required by employers to hire an employee in Portugal.
The first challenge, however, came to get the NIF. Samira had to resort to what other immigrants do out of desperation: pay someone to be the fiscal representative. The requirement that a citizen resident in Portugal be the representative is made by the Finance body to grant the document.
As immigrants often do not know someone to sign as a tax representative when they arrive in the country, they end up hiring a lawyer to move forward with the process. The young woman spent 50 euros to get the number, which is free and essential for opening a bank account, working and renting a property.
Then it was time to try to enter the social security number, NISS. Samira says that she made several attempts at different service centers in Lisbon and in the Montijo region, on the south bank of the Tagus River.
The young woman was only successful after a lot of insistence for almost two months: “I only got it on March 17th, so I haven’t had a chance to look for a job in that time”, explains Samira. The Brazilian, who chose Portugal for security and “is really enjoying the country”, says that she is now looking for job opportunities in the areas of customer service.
Samira’s boyfriend, who immigrated with the gaucho, had no problems obtaining the documents. Despite the fact that the couple entered along with the documentation: “In 15 days everything came out and he already found a job in a restaurant”, reports the Brazilian.
What does the government say
Agora Europa asked government agencies about the reason for the NIF and NISS not being assigned to immigrants along with the visa. The ministries involved in the new visa process were also questioned about the employment institute’s lack of knowledge about the new process, in addition to how the communication to public bodies and disclosure to companies is being carried out. Until the closing of this report, however, no response had been obtained.
Regarding the need to pay for the preparation of the TIN, the Tax Authority (AT) responded to Agora Europa that, since July last year, a tax representative is no longer required, who usually collects the amounts. However, if the document is issued without the signature of a tax representative, the NIF cannot be used in activities necessary for a resident in the country, such as opening a bank account.