A last-minute legal change in Lisbon has upended thousands of Brazilian relocation plans. Late on 22 October, Portugal’s parliament enacted **Law 61/2025**, which scraps the popular "visto de procura de trabalho" (job-seeker visa) and replaces it with a yet-to-be-regulated “qualified job-seeker visa.” As of **23 October 2025**, all Portuguese consulates in Brazil and VFS Global visa centres stopped accepting new applications under the old category, returning files and fees to applicants.
The now-defunct visa, introduced in 2022, allowed Brazilians to enter Portugal for 120 days (extendable to 180) to look for work and convert in-country to a residence permit once they obtained an employment contract. It had become a fast-track alternative to the slower family-reunification and study pathways; Brazilians made up the single largest applicant group.
Under the new regime, only professionals in "high-skill" occupations—STEM, health care, engineering and other shortage areas—will qualify, and exact criteria will not be published until a separate regulatory order is issued. Pending files lodged **before** 23 October will be processed under the old rules, but advisers warn that evidentiary requests may increase.
For Brazilian multinationals seconding staff to Iberia, the abrupt suspension complicates mobility pipelines, especially for junior employees who used the job-seeker route for soft landing before internal transfers. Companies should now look at intra-company transferee permits or the EU Blue Card, both of which require pre-arranged employment.
The development also highlights a broader tightening across the EU as member states recalibrate immigration to labour-market needs. Mobility teams should audit their Europe strategies and consider contingency hubs (Spain’s new Start-Up Visa, for example) while awaiting Portugal’s implementing decree.
The now-defunct visa, introduced in 2022, allowed Brazilians to enter Portugal for 120 days (extendable to 180) to look for work and convert in-country to a residence permit once they obtained an employment contract. It had become a fast-track alternative to the slower family-reunification and study pathways; Brazilians made up the single largest applicant group.
Under the new regime, only professionals in "high-skill" occupations—STEM, health care, engineering and other shortage areas—will qualify, and exact criteria will not be published until a separate regulatory order is issued. Pending files lodged **before** 23 October will be processed under the old rules, but advisers warn that evidentiary requests may increase.
For Brazilian multinationals seconding staff to Iberia, the abrupt suspension complicates mobility pipelines, especially for junior employees who used the job-seeker route for soft landing before internal transfers. Companies should now look at intra-company transferee permits or the EU Blue Card, both of which require pre-arranged employment.
The development also highlights a broader tightening across the EU as member states recalibrate immigration to labour-market needs. Mobility teams should audit their Europe strategies and consider contingency hubs (Spain’s new Start-Up Visa, for example) while awaiting Portugal’s implementing decree.
