This is a story that I decided to wait until I left Portugal to tell. Now that I am safely back in Canada, I will recount one of the more disturbing things that happened to me in Portugal, of which there are many. One evening, after a night of drinking with friends in Barrio Alto, …
Europe seems to be having issues right now, and trending worse each election cycle. But do not despair, the world is your oyster. Keep an open mind and find a place that respects diversity and wants to attract investment and immigration both.
Europe’s conversation on immigration started about “illegal” migration, but now it’s spreading to legal immigration and stripping citizenship from people who are born in Europe but do not conform to ethnic nationalist standards. The “remigration” debate as it is called, is driven by far-right movements, centres on the mass deportation or voluntary return of immigrants regardless of their …
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Living in Portugal as an immigrant, you live in a bubble. You most likely don’t speak fluent Portuguese, and your friends are most likely not native Portuguese. If Portuguese people hold a hatred against you as an immigrant from Canada, they generally will be polite to you face. Even your social media feeds will look …
Renewing Temporary Residencies is a horrendous burden. Because Portugal is granting only Temporary Residencies to Canadians, the Residency permits must be renewed every 2-3 years. This renewal process is completely broken. When you do all the work in Canada to submit your documents to get your D7 or D8 visa, they only give you a …
Portugal should treat Canadian immigrants as well as Canada treats Portuguese immigrants Portugal’s population has finally stabilized at around 10 million due to efforts to balance emigration and immigration. High immigration is needed to offset losses due to emigration of Portuguese talent to other countries. Canada has been a huge recipient of Portuguese immigration, and …
Here is a partial checklist of things to think about when you eventually leave Portugal
Portugal needs immigrants more than we need Portugal. Europe needs immigrants more than immigrants need Europe. In fact, globally speaking, everywhere except Africa will be in steep competition for immigrants in the upcoming decades, and look back on this decade of anti-immigrant sentiment with deep regret.
There is a constant churn of influencers posting a flood of content filled with exuberance about their fresh move to this place or that, and Portugal is no exception to this rule. I was heavily influenced by one influencer from Canada that had moved to Portugal named Yvonne. If she could do it, I said …