South Asian migrants' lives on hold in Portugal : between regularisation challenges and strategies to address them

This study explores the challenges faced by South Asian migrants in their regularisation process in Portugal, as well as the strategies they adopt to overcome them. Through an inductive approach, based on interviews and observations, it highlights the dysfunctions of the Portuguese administrative system that hinder the acquisition of residence permits. In response to these obstacles, migrants mobilise their adaptability to overcome administrative barriers.
The Portuguese legal framework, marked by successive reforms and heavy bureaucracy, has long attracted South Asian migrants due to the possibility of regularisation after entering the country. However, administrative overload has led to an accumulation of pending cases, slowing down procedures and leaving thousands of migrants in a precarious situation.
In this challenging process, migrants face numerous obstacles: lack of information on procedures, language barriers, excessive delays in obtaining documents, difficulties accessing the job market, and forced immobility. Despite these constraints, they remain proactive and develop various strategies to bypass these difficulties. They seek help from lawyers, support from their community, assistance from "agents," or guidance from associations. However, their room for manoeuvre remains limited, as decision-making power is concentrated in the hands of the administration, reducing the impact of their efforts.
In sum, regularisation in Portugal is an obstacle course, trapping migrants in an administrative spiral that keeps them in a "suspended life," marked by uncertainty and waiting. This study thus highlights the urgent need for a reform of migration policies to ensure a more transparent, efficient, and migrant-friendly process.