New strict rules approved for Portugal job seeker visa regarding consular applications

Realizing this is not about the standard Schengen short-stay tourist visa, but many here discuss entry routes into Portugal, so FYI on the new legislative changes.

The Parliament has officially approved changes to the Immigration Law. The update limits the issuance of the “Job Seeker Visa” specifically to those who are technically “highly qualified” specialists.

The constraint is strictly procedural: you cannot regularize your status for this specific visa from within Portugal anymore. The application must be submitted at the Portuguese consulate IN your country of origin. While we often hope for exceptions, this ultimately will be the law.

Just letting you know so you don’t book a one-way ticket expecting to handle paperwork after arrival. Look closer at your qualifications before applying. history lives here, but the rules are modernizing.

Logic check. Does the finalized text define the specs for ‘highly qualified’? I am trying to figure out if this is strictly for PhD/Masters holders or if years of verified code experience count. Need to optimize my application before pushing to prod.