Portugal has launched the Programa Integrar aimed at attracting foreign workers. The program is intended for foreigners who have registered at employment centers.
The Portuguese government’s newly launched Integrar Program aims to support migrants enrolled in the national Institute of Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP). It targets those who are unemployed or looking for their first job, or who want to change their profession and/or access vocational training. The programme, Programa Integrar, offers training, skills recognition support and job seeking assistance.
The Portugal job seeker visa entitles its holder to enter and remain only in Portugal to look for job; authorizes him/her to carry out a subordinated work activity, until the visa expires or until the residence permit is granted. This visa is granted for 120 days, renewable for another 60 days and allows only one entry into Portugal. After the formalization of the employment contract, job seeker visa holder has the right to apply for a residence permit.
The Portuguese government noted that it recognises the “fundamental” need to “welcome and integrate the immigrant population, considering the ageing of the population and the lack of workers in many professional areas and strategic sectors of the economy”.
IEFP will make an initial ‘diagnosis’ of a participant’s profile, needs and expectations via an individual in-person interview, which will help to define an individualized employment plan, training plan and Portuguese language learning needs, among other measures. It will also identify school and employment qualifications possessed by the participant, in order to refer them where possible to the appropriate equivalence or recognition process.
The aim of Programa Integrar is to promote the hosting and integration of migrant workers and unemployed migrants, mitigating cultural limitations in the active demand for employment and developing social and professional skills facilitating entry into the labour market, namely through active employment measures.