The Portuguese government announced several legislative changes to facilitate and speed up the granting of visas to foreign citizens who want to live, work or study in Portugal, for foreign workers and their families, for citizens of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), for higher education students and for digital nomads. Entry quotas for immigrants in Portugal will end, and a new type of visa has been created: the job search visa.

The main changes are:

• The introduction of a new visa for individuals seeking work, allowing them to come to Portugal for a period of 120 days, with the possibility of extension by another 60 days.
• Elimination of the quota regime for residence visas for subordinate work.
• Temporary stay or residence visas for accompanying family members are now available, allowing a whole family to come to Portugal at the same time as the main breadwinner(s) seeking work.
• The requirement for prior consultation with the Aliens and Borders Office in order to secure short-term temporary stay visas and residence visas has been waived for citizens of the CPLP, making their application process easier.
• Holders of a temporary stay visa or those who have legally entered Portuguese national territory may apply for a CPLP residence permit.
• The process for obtaining a residence visa for foreign students enrolled in higher education institutions has been made easier: the requirement for prior consultation at the Aliens and Borders Office has been waived.
• Digital nomads can now be granted a temporary permanence visa or a residence visa for the exercise of subordinate or independent activity conducted remotely outside the national territory. 
• Following the UK's Brexit withdrawal agreement with the EU, public entities that collect biometric data are now entitled to issue the British Citizen's Card.