As the Portuguese Embassy in Guinea-Bissau revealed, the number of Guinean students in Portugal is on the rise, considering the number of applications for study visas.
The Interest of Guineans to Obtain Study Visas in Portugal Is Soaring
A total of 4,966 visa applications filed by Guineans for study purposes were approved by Portuguese authorities. That is up by 48 per cent compared to 3,356 visas that were granted in the 2023/2024 academic year, as Publico reports.
However, students from Guinea Bissau have dealt with visa delays, similar to their peers from other Portuguese-speaking countries, including Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Angola.
The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) includes nine countries and aims to improve cooperation between these countries, including the labour market.
Nearly 47% of Visa Applications Portugal Received in 2023 Were From Nationals of CPLP
According to statistics published by EU Helpers, the number of visa applications filed by nationals of the CPLP countries – Brazil, Timor Leste, Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Guinea-Bissau, and Equatorial Guinea, reached 97,532.
The number of applications filed by these countries represents 46.9 per cent of the total number of applications that Portugal received in 2023 – which is 207,654.
The country with the highest number of applications filed was Angola, nationals of which submitted a total of 54,852 applications – 26.4 per cent or more than a quarter of the total number of visa requests that Portugal received during this period.
Cape Verde was the third country with the most applications – 16,725 or eight per cent of the total- while Mozambique ranked fifth (13,383 or 6.4 per cent).
Applicants from Sao Tome and Principe filed 9,582 visa applications, and those from Guinea-Bissau filed 2,508, each representing 4.6 per cent and 1.2 per cent of total applications, respectively.
