Recognition of Qualifications of Highly Skilled Immigrants

in Portugal

Migration Forum

Costa da Caparica - Portugal

• International Catholic Organization;• Set up by the Society of Jesus in

1980;• Its mission is to accompany, to serve

and to plead the cause of refugees and forcibly displaced people;

• JRS is now working over 50 countries worldwide.

Jesuit Refugee Jesuit Refugee ServiceService

Fonte:

SEF

• Psychological/ social support• Legal advice• Job-finding• Pedro Arrupe’s Shelter• Portuguese language courses• Medical aid• CLAI – Local support centre for immigrants • Micro-credit• Awareness-raising of migrant issues through

media and at schools• Recognition of qualifications of highly skilled

Immigrants

Jesuit Refugee Service - Jesuit Refugee Service - PortugalPortugal

• Recognition Process – the main steps• 1) Gathering of the documentation;• 2) Translation and legalization of documents;• 3)Payment of fees for registering the process in a

school;• 4) Waiting period• 5) Portuguese language exam;• 6) Internship from 4 months to a year;• 7) Final exam;• 8) Registration in the Professional Council .

On average the whole recognition process will not take less than a year

Recognition of Recognition of QualificationsQualifications

in Portugalin Portugal

Partnership: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation,

Jesuit Refugee Service-Portugal

Financed by: C.Gulbenkian Foundation

2002 – 2005

Recognition of Qualifications of Highly

Skilled Immigrants

Aims of the project• To support the social and professional

integration of immigrant doctors (non-EU citizens) whose jobs in Portugal do not match their academic qualifications in the process of obtaining recognition of their degree;

• To contribute to reduce the shortage of healthcare professionals in the Portuguese labour market.

Recognition of Qualifications of Highly

Skilled Immigrants

Social Support• Portuguese language

classes;• Individual couselling;• Psychological support• Protocols celebrated with

Medicine Schools;• Protocols celebrated with

the Immigration Services;• Protocols celebrated with

the Ministry of Health;• Etc.

Financial Support• Payment of the

translations needed to the recognition process;

• Payment of a monthly scholarship (during the internship);

• Payment of all the expenses required by the recognition process;

• Payment of technical books of medicine.

Recognition of Qualifications of Highly

Skilled Immigrants Main aids of the project

Recognition of Qualifications of Highly

Skilled Immigrants Challenges and solutions Found

• Challenges:• The waiting period;

• Professional Integration;

• Visa renovation;

• Burocracy;

• Some resistance of the Portuguese doctors;

• Solutions found• Extend the financial support in

a loan system;• Search of work in the medicine

labour market (Blood Institute,etc.)

• Protocols with the Health Ministry

• Protocols with the Immigration Services;

• Informal contacts with the embassies, Doctors Order

• Sensibilisation through the Media and in the work floor.

  Men Women Total %

Ucranian 31 19 50 41,67

Moldovan 18 12 30 25

Russian 8 10 18 15

Guinean 3 2 5 4,17

Romenian 1 2 3 2,5

Bielorrussian 0 2 2 1,67

Albanian 1 1 2 1,67

Angolan 1 1 2 1,67

Cuban 0 2 2 1,67

Georgian 1 1 2 1,67

Bulgarian 1 0 1 0,83

Kazakhstani 0 1 1 0,83

Sahrawi 0 1 1 0,83

Senegalese 0 1 1 0,83

Total 65 55 120 100%

Recognition of Qualifications of Highly

Skilled Immigrants Statistics

Total Approved FailedF.Medicina Lisboa 18 11 7F Medicina Coimbra 25 23 2F Medicina Porto 17 17 0F Ciências Médicas Lisboa 31 28 3F Ciências Médicas Porto 29 28 1

Total 120 107 13

Recognition of Qualifications of Highly

Skilled Immigrants Final Result of the project

Thank You!

Recognition of Qualifications of Highly

Skilled Immigrants