Lisbon 11 June, 2026 — Portugal’s Parliament is voting today on a new immigration law package that may bring important changes for immigrants, foreign residents and new arrivals.
One of the biggest proposed changes is the end of “deferimento tácito” for residence permit renewals. Until now, in some cases, if AIMA did not decide within the legal deadline, the renewal could be treated as automatically approved. The new proposal aims to remove this automatic approval mechanism.
The package also seeks to make regularisation inside Portugal more difficult. One major change is the proposed end of regularisation through professional or vocational courses, a route that some immigrants used after entering Portugal without the correct residence visa.
Another reported change affects people trying to regularise their situation through a minor child in Portugal. This route may also be restricted or removed under the new proposal.
The law also includes stronger border-control and asylum measures. These include new screening procedures for people arriving irregularly, identity and security checks, biometric data collection, medical and vulnerability checks, and faster return procedures in some border cases.
The overall direction of the proposal is clear: Portugal is moving further away from the “enter first and regularise later” model and towards a stricter system where immigrants are expected to obtain the correct visa before arriving.
These changes are not fully in force just because they are voted in Parliament. After approval, the law still needs to complete the formal legislative process before it becomes effective.