Portugal Tightens Borders and Rejects 5x more Asylum Claims

Portugal registered 2,849 formal requests for international protection in 2024, an 8% drop from the previous year and the lowest tally since pandemic controls were lifted. The decline contrasts with the broader European picture, where applications to the 30-country EU+ bloc — the 27 EU members plus Norway and Switzerland — again topped one million, according to the newly released Annual Report of the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA).

Portugal’s place in the European league table

Despite Portugal’s growing reputation as a welcoming hub for remote workers and retirees, it ranked only eighteenth for asylum volume last year, well behind perennial front-runners Germany, Spain, Italy, France and Greece that together handled almost 80% of EU+ Asylum claims. Adjusted for population, Portugal remained in the lower half of the table, far below hotspots such as Cyprus and Greece where pressure on reception centres has been acute.

Who is knocking on Portugal’s door?

The profile of applicants in Portugal differs notably from the continental norm. While Syrians, Afghans and Venezuelans still dominate EU statistics, the largest single groups seeking protection here came from Senegal, Gambia and Colombia, together accounting for more than a third of all filings. Migration specialists link the West African presence to instability across the Sahel and the ease of maritime links to mainland Portugal, while Colombian arrivals reflect the long-standing cultural and linguistic pull of the Iberian Peninsula for Latin Americans.

Rejections soar fivefold

What surprised observers most was not the fall in applications but the surge in negative decisions. Portuguese authorities denied 785 claims in 2024, a 5x jump on the 131 rejections recorded the previous year. Officials at the national asylum office have cited tighter document checks and closer coordination with EU databases as reasons, noting that almost half of all applicants Europe-wide now come from countries with historically low acceptance rates. Even so, advocacy groups warn that longer queues — the EUAA counts almost one million cases still pending across Europe — combined with more refusals could discourage legitimate refugees from trying smaller destinations such as Portugal.

Why the numbers matter for foreign residents

For expatriates already settled in Portugal, the figures have no direct effect on visa categories like the digital-nomad permit, D7 passive-income route or golden visa. Yet they do shape the policy mood. As asylum systems tighten, the government has been under pressure at home and in Brussels to show it can distinguish between humanitarian cases and economic migration. Prospective movers should therefore expect more stringent identity checks at consulates and airports, even for non-asylum visas, as databases and screening tools converge.

Broader European pressures ripple outward

The EUAA notes that 4.4 million Ukrainians remain under temporary protection across the continent, a humanitarian commitment that continues to absorb housing, schooling and health-care resources. Portugal hosts roughly 60,000 of those Ukrainians, a relatively small share in absolute terms but a visible presence in cities such as Porto and Faro. With the directive that grants them temporary status due to expire in March 2026, some may switch to the regular asylum channel or other residence options, adding to administrative workloads.

What happens next

European leaders are negotiating a new return directive that could funnel rejected applicants to "return centres" outside EU territory. Lisbon has not publicly endorsed offshore processing but has backed faster case handling to prevent long backlogs. Meanwhile, the government is drafting an updated immigration strategy, expected later this year, that will keep humanitarian corridors open for pre-screened refugees while continuing to court foreign talent through work-and-residence programmes. For would-be residents, the message is clear: Portugal remains open, but paperwork will likely be scrutinised more closely than before.