What is it to be an expatriate in Portugal?

They arrive in great numbers, looking for the sun, the gastronomy, the hospitality and an opportunity to start a new life. Portugal is the best country in Europe and the fifth best country in the world to receive expatriates, according to a survey by InterNations, a social network used by three million users. The company has just chosen Porto to open its development center.

One month in Vila Nova de Gaia, one month in Lisbon, one month in Lagos. The main decision was made: Karen Nipps would for the first time, in her 61 years of life, live outside the United States of America. Recently retired, from the employment of a lifetime as a librarian in Boston, she wanted to try to start something new in Portugal. "People ask me why? I say invariably, 'Why not?' ", She tells P2.

Portugal, she said, was an obvious choice: "I came to consider the hypothesis of Mexico. But for me, who did not drive, having a good transportation infrastructure was also crucial. I was in Portugal as a tourist two years ago and I loved it. I thought it was not worth looking for more, " she explained. Nipps landed in Portugal in September determined to change her life and decided to choose a good place to live.

In February of this year she obtained a residence permit - "I am no golden visa, I do not have that financial capacity", she warns. This North American put a thousand euros as a monthly limit of income before starting the search of house.

How many are there, after all?

Among those who come to study, those who come to do cultural exchanges, those who are highlighted by companies, or those who come to their families, look for a job or take advantage of the reform, how many immigrants live in Portugal, anyway? Next June, the SEF will announce the official figures that show the size of the universe of foreigners who last year applied for a visa to reside in Portugal. So far, there are only provisional data, which point to a number of more than 29,000 special residence permits granted in 2017 to third country nationals from the European Union. It is not possible to count the number of citizens from other European countries who chose to live in Portugal, and who were brought here by multinationals that chose Portuguese cities to open new offices, to study or do research, the number of 29,055 residence permits granted to foreign citizens, gives a good idea of the universe of "expatriates" living in Portugal.

What is it like to be an expatriate

In Portugal they are immigrants. For Internations they are "expatriates", living far from the Motherland in which they were born. The Expat Insider Index 2017 examines the experience of expatriates in 65 countries and focuses on key topics such as the quality of life, the ease of a migrant to settle in, reconciliation with family life, the organization of personal finances, and the cost of living that you have in each country.

And according to these answers, and in the global index, which measures all the indicators, Portugal carried out a meteoric rise of 23 places, compared to the previous year. By the end of 2017, Portugal was the fifth best country in the world to host an immigrant.

The Index has several subcategories, and it is in the one that measures the Quality of Life of a destiny that Portugal becomes champion, snatching a leadership that, in 2016, belonged to the Chinese territory of Taiwan. For this index, respondents answer questions about leisure options, quality of transportation and travel opportunities, health and wellness, safety and security, and personal happiness.

It is in the index that measures the quality of life perceived by the expatriates that Portugal assumed this year the top place. Portugal's popularity among expatriates is largely related to its temperate climate and to the fact that leisure activities are widely available. According to the survey, no one interviewed had anything negative to say about the climate, which almost two thirds (65%) consider excellent. And nine out of ten expatriates perceived this as a potential benefit before moving. The good result of Portugal in the subcategory Health and Welfare - ninth worldwide - is, to a certain extent, thanks to the benefits of nature.