# Portugal wants its emigrants back – so it’s paying them to return



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Interesting article about Portugal and some of its problems today


> ...the percentage of its citizens living abroad is one of the highest in the world. And with a lack of skilled workers and an ageing, shrinking population disrupting the labour market, it’s launched a bid to tempt them to return.
> 
> The Regressar scheme offers former residents who have lived away for at least three years incentives to move back. Those who do will have their income tax bills halved for five years. And there’s cash to help with relocation for anyone taking a job.


https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/08/portugal-emigration-incentives-population/


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Not the only country. Many other countries are trying to get back skilled workers.

There is a worry Eastern Europe could collapse if they keep losing people. The people who leave tend to be younger and better educated. Exactly the sort of people the economy needs if it's to move up.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Returning emigres & descendants

https://dre.pt/web/guest/pesquisa/-...4H8iqfsTWrmc63G94POoQGT4JOc6HtK7RRJ5-gAufWhbU 

https://www.expatica.com/pt/portugal-offers-tax-breaks-to-returning-emigrants/ 


https://iefponline.iefp.pt/IEFP/veR...vwH3su0cZyOentaGkrJIemSI-8Gc0ukCNyHr5uCzdATYA 


https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/bureaucracy-and-red-tape-to-be-reduced-in-portugal/50318


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

NickZ said:


> Not the only country. Many other countries are trying to get back skilled workers.
> 
> There is a worry Eastern Europe could collapse if they keep losing people. The people who leave tend to be younger and better educated. Exactly the sort of people the economy needs if it's to move up.


 I just thought it was interesting to the people living in Portugal from the fact that "the percentage of its citizens living abroad is one of the highest in the world", something that I, and I expect many Portuguese themselves were not aware of. And it's not as if it's a country with a huge population, is it? 

Right next door in Spain where I live, it's 2% of the population whereas in Portugal it's a whopping 14%, only behind Ireland and New Zealand.


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

There are large Portuguese communities in Canada. Many arrived in the 70s. The Spanish community OTOH is almost non existent. Toronto has hundreds of thousand of Portuguese. Personally I knew three Spanish girls and that's it.

My guess is today with the EU most of the people are moving within the EU. Unless they register abroad somehow will their home countries even know? Italy requires Italians to register (even if they move within the EU) but I don't think all countries do this.


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## Maggy Dampier (Jun 12, 2018)

There are many people in South Africa of Portuguese descent and currently they make up 15% of the population of Luxembourg.


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## Tellus (Nov 24, 2013)

NickZ said:


> There are large Portuguese communities in Canada. Many arrived in the 70s. The Spanish community OTOH is almost non existent. Toronto has hundreds of thousand of Portuguese. Personally I knew three Spanish girls and that's it.


Reckon many of Portuguese people were from Azores....because they lived on the half way to Canada. Better chances than on mainland Portugal.


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## Tellus (Nov 24, 2013)

Maggy Dampier said:


> There are many people in South Africa of Portuguese descent and currently they make up 15% of the population of Luxembourg.


Mozambique / South Africa..any ideas in history ?
Brits even didn 't leave Rhodesia ( Zimbabwe ) voluntarely. :amen:


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Large parts of Africa have large Portuguese populations especially Mozambique, Angola, SA & Zim amongst others & the reason so many are so desparate to get out is because the whole of Africa is rapidly going down the toilet & an awful lot of them are keen to seek safe haven in Portugal


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Tellus said:


> Reckon many of Portuguese people were from Azores....because they lived on the half way to Canada. Better chances than on mainland Portugal.


I don't know the percentages but there are some. I think mostly from the mainland.


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## Maggy Dampier (Jun 12, 2018)

Many of the Portuguese in South Africa were from Madeira originally.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

And as a really useless piece of information, the Portuguese played a significant role in building the dam at Kariba...................... Which possibly explains why it now needs an engineering project to repair it. lol! 

Joking aside, many stayed on after the dam was completed & many now are looking to return.


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