Immigration, Emigration and Policy Developments in Portugal

Abstract

Due to the economic crisis, from the beginning of the new century many of Portugal's former immigrants have moved on to Spain and other European countries, in parallel with the increase in Portuguese emigration. In the context of Southern Europe, Portugal faces a singular situation. Similarly to Spain, Italy and Greece, the country registered a strong immigration in the late 1990s. However, in the early years of the new century immigration has decreased. At the same time, emigration has continued and a new wave of emigrants has left the country, mostly directed towards Spain. As regards government policy, admission and integration have been addressed but emigration has not seriously been looked into.