The growth rate is still provisional, we will only have the final results at the end of September, but looking at the same date as last year, the growth rate is 26 percent compared to the previous year, and we expect a very significant increase in students from the Portuguese-speaking countries," said João Sobrinho Teixeira in statements to Lusa.

These applications, he explained, are those that "were admitted by Portuguese educational institutions, and now have to go through the process of granting visas and the possibility of enrolling in Portugal, at various levels such as a degree or specialized higher technical courses,". "But for now, we have over 7,600 students who are applying, and that number could double between now and September," he said.

For the official, the growth trend is also followed by international students, who look to Portugal as an attractive destination to study. "With regard to international students, we had a very large return in demand, which increased again; Portugal had had an exceptional growth in the number of students in recent years, in 2019 it grew 24 percent, in the previous year it had been 28 percent, and during the pandemic, in 2020, there was a regression of 4 percent", said João Sobrinho Teixeira.

The candidacy process ends on Friday, and the government official left an appeal to international students, namely the children of Portuguese emigrant parents, to apply either in their countries, or in Portugal, even if they do not intend to stay in the country afterwards.