MIPEX 2025 Portugal Launch: Evidence, Debate, and the Future of Integration Policy
On 24 November 2025, policymakers, researchers, and civil society representatives gathered at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon for the national presentation of the Migration Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) 2025 results. The event, organised by the Centre for Geographical Studies, IGOT–University of Lisbon, provided an opportunity to reflect on Portugal’s integration policies at a moment of significant transition.
Following the European launch in Brussels, the Lisbon session focused on how Portugal’s new policy environment is shaping outcomes for migrants – and what evidence-based pathways may strengthen inclusion in the years ahead.
Setting the Scene: Why MIPEX Matters
MIPEX is one of the most widely used international tools for assessing integration policy. Covering over 50 countries and 58 indicators, it provides a comprehensive, comparative view of how countries support migrants’ access to rights, opportunities, and long-term inclusion. Its methodology is built on detailed national research and expert validation, ensuring both rigour and cross-country comparability.
In Portugal, the MIPEX 2025 cycle comes at a particularly important moment, marked by institutional restructuring, new migration rules, and public debate on the future of integration.
MPG Presentation: Portugal’s Results in a Changing Policy Context
During the keynote session, Başak Yavçan, MPG’s Head of Research presented the MIPEX 2025 comparative results, focusing on Portugal’s trajectory across the eight MIPEX dimensions. Her presentation highlighted both long-term strengths and recent downward shifts that reshape Portugal’s overall performance.
Long-term Strengths
Portugal has historically been recognised as a leader in migrant integration, maintaining strong results in:
- Anti-discrimination, with comprehensive legal protections
- Political participation, supported by active consultative structures
- Education, including supports for multilingual learners
- Labour market mobility, previously marked by favourable access and mobility policies
These areas reflect long-standing commitments that have shaped Portugal’s identity as a welcoming country.
Recent Trends and Score Decline
However, the updated 2025 data shows a notable decline in Portugal’s MIPEX score – from 83 in 2023 to 75 in 2025 – driven by major policy reforms in three areas:
- Labour market mobility (–5 points), following new restrictions on pathways from tourism entry to residence and the introduction of a short-term “visa for seeking qualified work”
- Family reunification (–33 points), with new residence duration requirements, mandatory training, and broader grounds for refusal
- Access to nationality (–52 points), including longer residence requirements and the end of automatic citizenship for children born in Portugal to foreign parents
These changes raise concerns about longer, more complex pathways to stability and citizenship, as well as higher administrative burdens for newcomers.
Comparative Insights
MPG also presented Portugal’s results in relation to other EU countries. While Portugal once stood far above the EU average, the new reforms place the country closer to mid-range performers, prompting questions about how recent shifts align with broader European integration standards.
From Evidence to Dialogue: Panel Reflections
The MIPEX presentation served as a springboard for a roundtable discussion moderated by journalist Filipa Burnay (RTP). Experts, former high commissioners, civil society leaders, and institutional representatives reflected on the implications of the 2025 data.
Key themes included:
- Ensuring the continuity and capacity of Portugal’s integration institutions amid restructuring
- The need to balance administrative efficiency with accessibility and rights
- Safeguarding inclusive principles in nationality and family policies
- Supporting the role of civil society in shaping integration outcomes
This discussion underscored MIPEX’s role not only as an analytical tool but also as a catalyst for informed dialogue across sectors.
Looking Ahead: Strengthening Integration Through Evidence
As Portugal navigates a changing policy landscape, MIPEX 2025 provides essential evidence for understanding emerging gaps and opportunities. The Migration Policy Group will continue working with Portuguese partners and experts to support data-driven policymaking that promotes equality, participation, and long-term inclusion.
The Lisbon launch reinforced a shared understanding: building effective integration policy requires sustained commitment, cross-sector cooperation, and the willingness to align reforms with proven international standards.
