Descendants

PORTUGUESE DESCENDANTS

Location/geographical coverage

Portugal

Background and description

Institutions involved: Portuguese Public Universities and the Directorate General of Higher Education in the scope of the Regulation of the National Public Higher Education Application and Admission via the Special Contingent for Portuguese Emigrant Applicants, Family Members who live with them and Portuguese descendants allocating “7% of the vacancies to Portuguese descendant applicants in all degrees at public Universities and Polytechnical Institutes (34 public institutions and more than 1,000 degrees)”. A Portuguese descendant is a citizen who has lived permanently for at least two years in a foreign country with at least one ascendant of Portuguese nationality up to the 2nd degree in the straight line who has not lost that nationality, and who has the Portuguese nationality according to Law No. 37/81, 3/October, paragraph No. 1 of item 1, in its current wording.

The application conditions are the following ones: For Portuguese emigrant applicants, family members residing with them and Portuguese descendants, a special contingent was created with 7% of the places set for the 1st phase of the national application, namely, candidates who: a) are or have been Portuguese emigrants or family members who live with them or Portuguese descendants; b) submit their application within a maximum period of three years after returning to Portugal; c) Have obtained in the foreign country of residence a secondary education certificate of that country, or obtained there, which constitutes a higher education access qualification or legally equivalent to the Portuguese secondary education; Holding a Portuguese secondary education certificate; d) At the date of completion of the secondary education course having resided for at least two years, on a permanent basis, in a foreign country; e) Do not hold a Portuguese or foreign degree conferring a higher education degree. f) Applicants may also apply to the special contingent for emigrant applicants and family members residing with them, as well as Portuguese descendants, who comply with paragraphs a), b) and e) and who have completed in the foreign country of residence, cumulatively: i) part of the secondary education course of that country, whenever it is legally equivalent to Portuguese secondary education, or part of a course of Portuguese secondary education, and: ii) the whole cycle of education preceding the secondary education in the same educational system. These conditions may, upon the student’s request, be replaced by obtaining a secondary education diploma in a foreign country neighbouring the foreign country of residence provided that it is proved by the Portuguese diplomatic authority that the completion of the secondary education course in that country was due to the greater proximity between the secondary school and the place of residence, and to greater transportation accessibility from the home residence to school.

In terms of identifying the direct and, eventually, indirect beneficiaries: In the year 2018, the 7% of reserved places in Portuguese higher education, which corresponds to about 3,700 places, were addressed at Portuguese descendants, with only 400 being fulfilled in the previous year. In 2021, there was a 52% increase in the number of emigrant and Portuguese descendant candidates placed by the national access application in 2 years, but the government wants to increase this indicator and make it boost the fulfilment of the aim established with the European Union of having six young Portuguese in every ten attending higher education. Also in 2021, 664 emigrants and their families entered higher education in Portugal under this contingent, a number which is almost 60 per cent higher than the one in the previous year, having entered 416 students. Regarding candidates applying via the special contingent for Portuguese emigrants, their families and Portuguese descendants – Country of emigration Venezuela, the following available data was collected: 1919-20: 43 candidates, 38 of whom were placed; 2020-21: 38 candidates, 35 of whom were placed; 2021-22: 10 candidates, 9 of whom were placed.

Study Cycles particularly relevant for these students’ education at the University of Madeira:

Support from the Portuguese descendants Associations (Venezuela)

Actions by the Employment Office at the University of Madeira

Actions promoted with the collaboration of the Government of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, together with the participation by students from the University of Madeira, via Start-up Madeira, “Startup Madeira is part of the European network of business and innovation centres. This network, which is supported by EBN and based in Brussels, has more than 160 BICs spread over 28 EU countries. At national level, BICs are gathered in BICS – Association of Portuguese Business and Innovation Centres (Associação dos Centros Empresariais e de Inovação Portugueses). It is also part of the recently created National Network of Incubators.” (https://startupmadeira.eu/home/).

Stakeholders and Partners

Portuguese Public Universities

The Directorate General of Higher Education

Portuguese descendants

The Portuguese descendants Associations (Venezuela)

The Employment Office at the University of Madeira

Government of the Autonomous Region of Madeira

Innovation potential

Actions promoted with the collaboration of the Government of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, together with the participation by students from the University of Madeira, via Start-up Madeira, “Startup Madeira is part of the European network of business and innovation centres. This network, which is supported by EBN and based in Brussels, has more than 160 BICs spread over 28 EU countries. At national level, BICs are gathered in BICS – Association of Portuguese Business and Innovation Centres (Associação dos Centros Empresariais e de Inovação Portugueses). It is also part of the recently created National Network of Incubators.” (https://startupmadeira.eu/home/).

Contact details

alcinasousa@staff.uma.pt

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