The Portuguese community in the United Kingdom with which the President of the Republic will celebrate Portugal Day Abroad, on Friday, is the second largest in Europe and also one of the most diverse in the entire diaspora.
made up of approximately 400 thousand peopleaccording to data from the European Union Citizen Registration System, more than half arrived after 2010, largely result of the wave of emigration caused by the financial crisis of the sovereign debt.
Figures from the British Ministry of Labor show that around 226,000 Portuguese registered with Social Security between 2011 and 2019mandatory requirement to be able to work or have social support.
The flow slowed down significantly after the Brexit referendum in 2016, and has almost stopped since 2020 due to movement restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic and after the entry into force, in 2021, of new regulations more strict for immigration.
Initially dominated by Madeirans who moved to the UK to work in the service sector such as tourism and catering, the community is now more diverse in terms of naturalness and geographical dispersion throughout the country.
According to consular records, 40% of Portuguese emigrants in the country were born in Portugal and 17-18% are of Portuguese descentthat is, born in the United Kingdom, the consul general in London, Cristina Pucarinho, told Agência Lusa.
However, almost a quarter of the total, between 24-25%, are from Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Brazil, Angola or Timor-Leste, and 18% were born in Asia, mainly in India.
This is the result of the law that allows descendants of Portuguese citizens born in the Portuguese-Speaking African Countries (PALOP), in the former colonies of Goa, Damão and Diu and Timorese born before independence in 2002 to obtain Portuguese nationality. .
“A more recent phenomenon is the Portuguese from Venezuela of Madeiran origin, who have family and friends here and who transit through Madeira, but end up settling in the United Kingdom, in the London area or on the island of Jersey,” revealed the consul. .
Most of the Portuguese diaspora in the UK is concentrated in the London metropolitan areaabout 40%, and the rest are scattered throughout the rest of the countrywith some foci in the Anglia region (east coast of England), the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey), Leicester, Manchester, Birmingham, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Regarding professional activity, there are Portuguese in all sectors of activityfrom agriculture, construction and manufacturing to services such as cleaning, finance or architecture or even in areas such as the arts, sports, science and higher education.
Although many highly skilled professionals such as nurses and doctors have migrated to the UK in recent years, UK statistics indicate that most Portuguese citizens in the UK have average qualificationsthat is, they only completed secondary education.
In general, says Cristina Pucarinho, the image of the Portuguese in the UK is positive and it is gradually becoming more visible, with seven mayors elected in local elections in May.
“The Portuguese community is well integrated, it feels good in the United Kingdom, it feels welcomed and recognized,” he guarantees.
Source: Observadora
