Portugal faces a double demographic challenge: low birth rates and an ageing population. The result is clear: an inverted age pyramid, with more elderly people than young people, and a country where labour shortages are beginning to hamper economic growth. This phenomenon has direct consequences for the sustainability of the social security system, labour shortages and territorial cohesion. In this context, immigration emerges as a public policy tool to mitigate the effects of population decline. However, for this contribution to be effective and lasting, it is essential to ensure the full integration of immigrants, in accordance with constitutional principles and international commitments made by the Portuguese State. Immigration must therefore be conceived as a structural policy, framed by principles of legality, equality and human dignity.
In addition to effective integration, immigration can only fulfil this role if it is accompanied by rigorous oversight. The absence of control opens the door to labour exploitation, human trafficking and irregular stays, which weaken not only immigrants but also the rule of law itself.
Thus, the legal dimension is not limited to guaranteeing rights; it also imposes on the state the responsibility to monitor employers, mediate migration flows, and ensure the legality of administrative processes.
Control and supervision should not be seen as barriers, but as regulatory mechanisms that protect both nationals and foreigners. They ensure fairness in labour relations, combat illegal practices and strengthen Portuguese society’s confidence in immigration as a tool for demographic renewal.
Immigration is undoubtedly part of the solution for Portugal’s future. But for this solution to be solid and legitimate, it is essential that it goes hand in hand with integration policies and effective, transparent and humane enforcement. Only in this way will it be possible to transform migratory flows into a structural opportunity, ensuring that the fight against demographic decline does not compromise social cohesion or the country’s fundamental values.
.
