Over the past seven years, the number of foreign citizens legally residing in Portugal has increased almost fourfold. According to Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (AIMA), by the end of 2024, there were about 1,543,697 foreign residents registered in the country, while in 2017, this figure was about 421,802 people.
Foreign citizens now account for approximately 15% of Portugal‘s population, confirming the accelerated growth of migration in this country.
According to AIMA, the majority of foreign residents are citizens of Brazil (approximately 31.4%), India (approximately 7.4%), Angola (approximately 6.9%), and Ukraine (approximately 5.9%). Most migrants are of working age: 77% are between 18 and 44 years old, and 56.1% are men. However, no direct official breakdown by nationality has been found in open sources — these data require additional verification.
Portugal is considered one of the most immigrant-friendly countries in the EU — it has a Golden Visa program that requires an investment of €250,000 and grants the right to a residence permit and then citizenship. There are other categories as well: the D2 business visa, visas for digital nomads, and financially independent individuals.
Meanwhile, the sharp increase in the number of applications is putting a strain on AIMA: the agency reports a shortage of staff, a significant backlog of unprocessed cases, and delays in processing applications. A number of media outlets report that some cases have been pending for over two years.
The growth in the number of foreign residents in Portugal reflects a changing demographic landscape and makes the country attractive to international investors, start-ups, and migrant workers.
Key factors include relatively low investment thresholds, openness to foreign specialists, and a favorable climate. However, this dynamic is accompanied by growing challenges: increased pressure on the housing market, social infrastructure, and a migration management system in need of modernization.
For businesses, this is a signal that Portugal is a promising market for relocation and the creation of international teams, but it is important to take into account bureaucratic delays and changes in migration policy.
Switzerland will restrict the granting of temporary protection status to Ukrainian refugees from western regions of Ukraine from November 1, 2025, according to SRF television. The decision was made by the Swiss Federal Council as part of a review of the policy on granting S status, which has been in effect for Ukrainian citizens since March 2022. Under the new rules, the state will distinguish between regions of Ukraine where it is considered safe to return and those where it is still unsafe to stay.
According to the government’s decision, the return of Ukrainians is considered acceptable in the following regions: Volyn, Rivne, Lviv, Ternopil, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Chernivtsi.
The new restrictions will take effect on November 1, 2025, and will only apply to new applications. Ukrainians who have already been granted protection status are not affected by the new rules.
The Federal Council emphasized that, overall, the temporary protection regime S remains in place, as “a lasting stabilization of the situation in Ukraine does not appear realistic in the medium term.” However, the country’s parliament had previously obliged the government to establish a more differentiated approach depending on the applicants’ regions of origin.
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) will continue to consider each application individually. In cases where the applicant’s origin indicates a region recognized as safe, the application for protection will be rejected.
If the return of a particular person proves legally impossible or individually unacceptable, they will be allowed to remain in Switzerland temporarily.
Ukrainians who are unable to obtain S protection status under the new rules will still be able to apply for asylum or leave for other European countries.
The Federal Council also confirmed that the final abolition of the S protection regime is not planned before March 2027.
Experts note that Bern’s decision reflects Switzerland’s gradual transition to the selective application of protection status, focused on the level of security in specific regions of Ukraine and reducing the burden on the national migration system.
According to SRF, among Ukrainians currently in Switzerland under S status, about 10% come from regions recognized by the government as safe.
The Ukrainian consumer sentiment index rose by 5.2 points in August 2025 to 81.7 points (on a scale of 0 to 100), while in July it rose by 3.6 points to 76.4 points, and in June it was lower at 75.7 points, according to the Info Sapiens agency website.
“After several months of slight decline, the consumer sentiment index showed growth in August 2025. A similar trend is observed for the current situation and economic expectations indices. Both consumer sentiment and economic expectations indicators are close to the values we observed in the same period of 2023, but the current situation this year is assessed slightly better,” Info Sapiens analysts comment.
It is noted that the current state index (CPI) rose to 64.5 points, which is 5.2 points higher than in July. Among the components of the index, the current personal financial situation index rose by 4.9 points to 57 points, and the large purchase feasibility index rose by 5.5 points to 71.9 points.
The economic expectations index (EEO) rose by 5.2 points in August and stands at 93.1 points. The dynamics of the components of this index are as follows: the index of expected changes in personal financial situation stands at 95.4 points, which is 7.7 points lower than in July, the index of expected economic development of the country over the next year rose by 4.1 points and stands at 78.7 points, the index of expected economic development of the country over the next 5 years rose by 3.9 points compared to last month and stands at 105.3 points.
The index of expected unemployment dynamics also underwent significant changes in August, decreasing by 6.3 points to 119.5 points.
The inflation expectations index rose by 1.2 points to 184.9 points, while the devaluation expectations index rose by 5.4 points to 154.6 points.
The consumer sentiment index in Ukraine is determined on the basis of a selective survey of households in the country. The survey polls 1,000 people aged 16 and older.
Ukrainians ranked fourth among foreign buyers of real estate in Turkey in August 2025, according to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). In the last month of summer, foreigners purchased 1,810 residential properties in Turkey, which is 19.8% less than in August 2024 (2,257 properties). The share of sales to foreigners amounted to 1.3% of the total volume of transactions.
Leaders in terms of the number of transactions in August:
Russians — 283 properties;
Iranians — 155;
Germans — 118;
Ukrainians — 118;
Iraqis — 118;
Azerbaijanis — 77;
Kazakhs — 68.
The most popular regions among foreign buyers were Istanbul (671 properties), Antalya (576), and Mersin (123).
The report notes that Russians remain the leaders, but their activity is declining: in August, they bought 10.2% fewer properties than in the previous month (315 in July). Compared to August 2024 (381 transactions), the decline was 25.7%.
Approximately 5.7 million people from Ukraine remain displaced worldwide, 3.8 million are internally displaced, and 4.1 million have returned from displacement either within Ukraine or from abroad, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“Displacement remains a defining feature of the crisis,” said an IOM spokesperson in a statement on the recent attacks in Ukraine, published on the organization’s website on Tuesday.
IOM also expresses deep concern about the continuing rise in civilian casualties across Ukraine and stresses the urgent need for measures that prioritize the protection of civilians and provide necessary humanitarian assistance.
“The civilian population of Ukraine continues to bear the heavy burden of war as Russian strikes hit towns and villages on the front line and beyond. In July 2025 alone, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights recorded 286 deaths and 1,388 injuries, the highest monthly figure since May 2022,” the statement said.
The IOM also stresses the urgent need for measures that prioritize the protection of civilians and provide necessary humanitarian assistance.
IOM, UKRAINIANS, WAR
According to data from the Cypriot Ministry of Internal Affairs presented to parliament, as well as reports from Cypriot media, foreign buyers purchased more than 37,000 properties on the island between 2021 and 2024.
Top 10 buyer countries (2021–2024)
The statistics show some regional characteristics, for example, in Paphos, the British traditionally lead (~4,500 properties), in Limassol, the Russians lead (~2,500), followed by the British and Israelis. In Larnaca, the British, Lebanese, and Israelis are active, while in Nicosia, a significant portion of transactions are carried out by Greeks and British.
Since 2021, foreigners have purchased more than 37,000 properties, while Cypriot citizens have purchased more than 200,000. Transactions involving foreigners are concentrated in Limassol and Paphos (about 60% of all transactions).
The main trends in the Cyprus residential real estate market are:
Experts predict further growth in interest from citizens of Israel, Lebanon, and Ukraine, as well as a possible revival of Chinese investors as currency restrictions ease.
