The End of "Expression of Interest": Portugal’s New Highly Skilled Mandate

The Breakdown of the Liberal Entry Model

The "Manifestação de Interesse" (Manifestation of Interest) pathway will be completely closed in Portugal in 2026. For years, this system let people from outside the EU come as tourists, find work, and get their status in order while they were in the EU. The putting into effect of Law No. 61/2025 has replaced this open-door policy with a strict, pre-vetted entry system. This means that Portugal is no longer the easiest place to get into the European labor market.

The Regulatory Gap: "Highly Skilled" vs. What Really Happens

The Highly Skilled Work-Seeking Visa is the new name for the general job-seeker visa. But a lot of applicants don't understand what "specialized technical competencies" means. This visa is not a general work permit like the last one was. It needs to check that your academic or professional qualifications meet the standards for the European Blue Card.

• Limitation of territory: This visa is only good for Portugal, which is very important. People who think of Portugal as a gateway to Northern Europe often forget that it doesn't automatically give the holder the right to live or work in other Schengen states.

• The 120-Day Countdown: The visa is good for 120 days. The holder must leave if they don't sign a qualifying contract and start the residency application process with AIMA within this time frame.

• The One-Year Bar: If you don't get a job, you have to wait a year before you can apply for the same job again.

AIMA and the "Zero-Defect" Change in Management

The change from the old SEF to the new AIMA (Agência para an Integração, Migrações e Asilo) has led to a "zero-defect" way of doing paperwork. People often complained about backlogs in the old system, but it did allow for some flexibility in corrected filings. The 2026 administrative practice is much more black and white. Applications that aren't complete are now quickly turned down without the long "request for evidence" periods that used to give applicants some time to fix their mistakes.

The Labor Market's Structural Conflict

There is a growing conflict between these new high-skill requirements and what the Portuguese economy really needs. The visa is good for tech and engineering, but there isn't a legal way for non-EU workers to get jobs in hospitality and construction, which are both short on workers by more than 100,000. This shift toward "high-value" migration ignores the fact that the Portuguese economy depends on service-sector workers, which could lead to higher local costs.

In the end, the 2026 reforms show that Portugal is no longer competing for quantity, but for specific human capital. People who want to move to another country must now show their worth before they get there. The days of "enter first, figure it out later" have been replaced by a system where the burden of professional relevance is shifted entirely onto the individual, making legal and professional pre-assessment a mandatory first step rather than an optional luxury.