Ordinance no. 99/2019, of April 4, amends the “Tech Visa” regime established in the Ordinance no. 328/2018, under which certified companies may easily hire non-EU citizens to perform high added value activities in Portugal.

These amendments provide for the regime to be extended to all sectors of activity, not being reserved only to companies that develop their activity in the area of technology.

Regarding the criteria required for certification, companies now must obtain a positive assessment of its application in relation to:

• Market potential; and
• External market orientation.

Moreover, companies incorporated more than 3 years ago must present a positive net worth, as evidenced by the latest Simplified Business Information (SBI).

Finally, there are also changes in the eligibility requirements for highly qualified workers. Therefore, these workers are now required to prove that:

• They have a minimum level of qualification of level 6 according to ISCED-2011 (previously, level 5); or
• In the case of workers with a level of qualification 5 or professional technical course (according to ISCED-2011), they shall have to prove that they have exceptional specialized technical skills, obtained through the minimum experience of 5 years.

Click on the link below to see the diploma:

https://dre.pt/application/conteudo/121987031

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[Photo: Everaldo Coelho, available at: unsplash.com]