Statistics published today by the Ministry of Labor and Pensions show that 168 Portuguese registered for Social Security between September and December 2020, an increase from July to September, compared to a record 60 from the previous quarter.
Social security registration is a requirement for the UK to be able to work with and benefit from the social support system and an indicator used to calculate demographic flows in the country.
With the end of the post-Brexit period on 31 December, the freedom of movement of Europeans in the United Kingdom came to an end, guaranteeing the citizens of the European Union (EU) by the end of the year to establish themselves in British territory. Ho. Resident status.
Those who arrived later, in 2021, are subject to the new point of immigration system, which requires, among other requirements, an employment contract, knowledge of the English language and minimum wages.
The increase in Portuguese registrations last quarter followed a general panorama among European citizens, as the Ministry of Labor registered 3,235 Social Security registrations between September and December 2020, a triple from 1,164 in the previous quarter.
Researchers at the Immigration Observatory, Inês Vidigal, acknowledged that some last-ditch efforts for legalization had been made in the country, but they believe the increase in late 2020 would be more related to the restoration of mobility in international affairs, influenced by the Kovid – Epidemic of 19.
“Limits were closed in two intermediate semesters of the year, but circulation became easier in the last quarter. There could also be compensation for services. [do Ministério do Trabalho]”Which would have been limited”, he said, in statements by the LUSA agency.
Overall, 6,664 Portuguese were registered in British Social Security in 2020, 73% less than the previous year’s 24,593, the lowest value since 2002, when these figures began to be collected.
With the exception of 2019, when there was an unexpected increase from the previous year, the trend of Portuguese and European migration to the United Kingdom has been downward since 2016, a phenomenon that researchers attribute to the perception created by the referendum The European Union (EU) of the country that determines the departure.
Although the Kovid-19 epidemic in the UK has also affected migrant flows and economic activity, ‘Brexit’ is one of the factors pointing to a sharp 75% decline in social security registrations of EU citizens.
In 2020, the British Labor Ministry received 116,000 applications, 340,000 fewer in 2019.
