Portugal's Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, said this week that "wide-open doors" to immigration "didn't produce good results," while stressing that Portugal remains open to immigrants who can support themselves.

He was speaking to reporters in Gavião, in the Portalegre district, during the signing of a €324,000 tourism-development agreement between Turismo de Portugal and the local municipality.

"Any immigrant who wants to come to Portugal and has conditions to work, namely if they have a job and a home, gets in with great ease, it's almost a green channel (fast-track)," Castro Almeida said. "Our only limitation is on indiscriminate entry by anyone who wants in, that can't happen, wide-open doors didn't produce good results, but whoever has the conditions to work is very welcome in Portugal."

The economic case he made for it

Castro Almeida framed the position around Portugal's labor market, saying the country has "practically no unemployment," with joblessness at record lows and total employment at record highs. "The fact that there's no unemployment is a huge advantage for the country," he said, "now you'll tell me, we need more people to work, we're open to immigration that has conditions to work."

Castro Almeida also argued Portugal's broader economy remains strong, citing GDP growth of 2.5% year-on-year in the most recent quarter and 0.8% quarter-on-quarter, which he said is double the European average, inflation declining for three consecutive months, and growth in both exports and tourism. He called public debt the one "dissonant number" in an otherwise positive picture, describing it as "entirely circumstantial" and saying it would continue falling when comparing year-end 2025 to year-end 2026.

Context, not a policy change

The minister did not announce any new law, regulation, or policy shift. His remarks instead reinforce the government's existing position that Portugal should continue accepting immigrants who already have work and housing arranged. They also come as President Seguro considers legislation implementing the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, part of a broader tightening of immigration and residency rules elsewhere.

Anyone planning a move should continue following Portugal's current visa and residency rules, as those have not changed.