The governments of Portugal and India have signed an agreement on the recruitment of Indian nationals to work in Portugal.
According to the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the deal “whenever an employer wishes to hire an Indian worker, they must communicate that intention to the Institute of Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP)”.
IEFP will then transmit the request to the Indian authorities, which will carry out a selection process, after which the employment contract will be signed and the visa will be granted to the recruited worker, thus allowing him to work in Portugal.
“This bilateral instrument will facilitate legal and safe labour migration flows between the two countries, establishing the procedures for the admission of Indian citizens to perform a professional activity, under a work contract, in Portugal,” the Government says. “It will apply to recruitment for any work activity and whatever the duration of the work contract, benefiting Indian workers with all the rights guaranteed by Portuguese legislation.”
The labour mobility agreement was signed on Monday in Lisbon by India’s secretary of state for foreign affairs and culture, who was visiting Portugal, and the latter’s secretary of state for foreign affairs and cooperation, Francisco André. It now must be ratified and will come into force 30 days after the final notification, according to the statement.
The Indian community in Portugal was the country’s fastest-growing last year, and now stands at some 24,550, more than the nationals of either Angola and Guinea-Bissau – both former colonies of Portugal with much longer traditions of migration – according to the Immigration, Borders and Asylum Report (RIFA) released in June this year.
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