Looking to escape war at home, Israelis seek refugee status in Portugal
As the Israel-Hamas conflict stretches into its 11th month, locals looking to flee its physical and economic perils find a shortcut – albeit temporary – in applying for EU asylum
PORTO, Portugal — Since the Hamas onslaught of October 7, Nufar Bar, an Israeli immigration lawyer living in Porto, has seen a nonstop flow of requests from Israelis seeking refugee status.
“We get them almost every day,” said Bar, who works with the Portuguese law firm Cotarelli e Rodrigues helping Israelis move abroad.
Portugal offers many options for those seeking to immigrate, but Bar has found that many Israelis choose to apply as refugees through the asylum application process in Portugal as detailed by the UNHCR.
For one 28-year-old Israeli woman who requested anonymity, applying for refugee status was the natural choice when the outbreak of the conflict caught her off guard.
“I was on vacation in Europe when the war started, and I did not want to return to Israel,” she told The Times of Israel. “I was thinking of going to Berlin, but the visa application times were too long. My tourist visa was going to expire, so when a friend told me about this option, I didn’t hesitate for a single second.”
Since October, however, she has had to renew her status with the Portuguese authorities every two months. “It’s a lot of paperwork, but it’s a pretty simple process,” she said.
Lawyer Bar explained how straightforward the system is: “When you arrive in Portugal, you can declare that you want to apply for refugee status at the airport or later at an AIMA [Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum] office. You say you’re from Israel and want to apply for asylum. They give you a form to fill out and collect your biometric data.”
Applicants are called for an interview within six to nine months, after which a decision is made about their application. In the meantime, they get support from the Portuguese authorities.
“So basically they get immediate rights. Some of them can work immediately, bring their kids to school, have access to healthcare and if they need they can have food and accommodation from the government,” said Alex Bayer, another immigration lawyer at Cotarelli e Rodrigues.
A temporary solution to permanent problems
No official information about the number of Israelis applying for asylum in Portugal can be found online and repeated requests for comment from the Portuguese authorities went unanswered. However, it is a topic of widespread discussion on Israeli blogs and Facebook groups.
“If you do not have any other options like EU or Portuguese citizenship and your income in Israel has stopped and you were evacuated from your home and you need a solution, this is an option,” said Bar. “I’ve also seen young people who see it as an opportunity to try living in Europe.”
Such is the case of another young Israeli, who at 27 years old, sees it as a chance to start a new life.
“I had the impression that with the war, my future was compromised in Israel,” said the refugee seeker, who like the others interviewed for this story wished to remain anonymous.
“I lost my job and I didn’t know what to do,” she said. “So when I saw this possibility, I took the opportunity and saw it as the start of a new life, as I had nothing to lose.”
According to the hopeful emigre, most people discover the asylum option through word of mouth; several of her friends decided to follow suit after seeing her experience.
Asked if she would encourage others to do the same, she replied, “If you have nothing to lose in Israel, of course, I recommend it 100 percent.”
It’s unclear whether other European countries offer the same ease of entry — each one has its unique list of countries deemed dangerous to return to. The European Commission’s Department for Migration and Home Affairs said in an email only that “the EU remains a safe haven for many of those forced to leave their homes due to persecution, wars, conflicts or natural disasters,” adding that “member states… decide on asylum applications on the basis of an individual assessment.”
Bar points out that as attractive as it may seem, asylum represents at best a temporary solution.
“It’s not the ideal visa. Actually, it’s not really a visa — it’s an application for a visa and it has limitations. It has no future on its own. You need to change to another type of visa that has a permanent future if you want to stay,” said Bar, who discourages applicants from going this route, though she does help those who do choose it.
“This is not what asylum is meant for. If you have other options, you should explore them,” she said.
Rise of the far right and antisemitic incidents
The results of Portugal’s parliamentary elections this past March could change the situation. The far right achieved a historic victory in a country previously spared the recent nationalist spike seen in other parts of Europe.
Led by André Ventura, the populist Chega party, whose name means “enough” in English, more than doubled in popularity, earning 18% of the vote in March compared to 7.2% during the previous legislative elections in 2022.
The party has placed a strong emphasis on fighting corruption as well as immigration, which may not bode well for many.
“When there is a hate for strangers, Jews will suffer even if they are not the target,” said Bar. “So I don’t think this party will be good for Israelis.”
As in other European countries, Portugal has also recorded an increase in antisemitic incidents since October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel butchering 1,200 people, kidnapping 251 to the Gaza Strip, and sparking the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Cases of vandalism at the Porto synagogue and the Jewish Cultural Center in Lisbon have been reported, and Israel’s Ambassador to Portugal Dor Shapira recently said he “continue[s] to receive messages of fear at the Embassy from Israelis and Jewish students from all over Portugal.”
Chega, now the third-largest political party in Portugal, will have an important role to play, with the new government unable to achieve a parliamentary majority, which could influence the country’s migration policies.
“So far immigration is something that has been very accepted in Portugal. Right now with the right wing, we will have to see,” said lawyer Bayer.
