Portugal municipality with action to integrate migrants
The Almeirim City Council approved the Municipal Plan for the Integration of Migrants (PMIM) for 2026-2028, aiming to address the significant growth of the foreign population through 27 targeted measures.
According to the document accessed today by Lusa, the plan prioritises reception, integration, education, housing, and the labour market, aiming to solve key difficulties in accessing information, housing, and employment.
Housing is a major obstacle: about 31% of surveyed migrants report difficulties, as rents in Almeirim rose nearly 65% from 2017 to 2023, and social housing remains insufficient.
The PMIM includes plans to expand housing supply, such as building 33 new social housing units and conducting regular inspections on overcrowding and poor conditions.
In Education, approximately 434 foreign students were enrolled in the municipality’s public schools in the 2024/2025 school year, representing almost 14% of the school population, particularly in the first cycle of basic education.
The plan focuses on three priorities: strengthening Portuguese language instruction, welcoming newly arrived migrant students, and implementing study support spaces throughout the municipality.
Access to healthcare is another critical area identified, with 18% of migrants reporting difficulties, frequently associated with a lack of family doctors, language barriers, and a lack of knowledge about how the National Health Service (NHS) works.
In this area, the plan foresees the production of “multilingual informational materials on access to the NHS” and “training healthcare professionals in intercultural skills.”
The document identifies situations of precariousness and labour exploitation, especially in the agricultural sector, as well as a lack of knowledge of labour rights and language difficulties.
Thus, the municipality aims to promote regular information sessions on labour rights and duties for migrants, establish a labour legal support service, and reinforce labour inspection actions, in coordination with the GNR (National Republican Guard).
The plan also includes awareness-raising actions to combat racism and discrimination, after 38% of the migrants surveyed stated that they had already been victims of some type of discrimination in the municipality, especially in access to housing and public services.
Between 2019 and 2024, the Local Centre for Migrant Integration Support (CLAIM) in Almeirim provided 7,753 services, more than half of which occurred in 2024 alone, serving 1,491 migrants from 45 different nationalities, mostly women and people aged 18 to 39.
According to data from the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), the most representative foreign communities in the municipality come from Brazil, India, Romania, and Angola. The Municipal Plan for the Integration of Migrants in Almeirim was developed in a process promoted by the Intermunicipal Community of Lezíria do Tejo, with funding from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), and involved the municipality, local entities, and migrants.
Reference link: https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2026-04-11/portugal-municipality-with-action-to-integrate-migrants/1004057
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