Higher education has a contingent reserved for children of emigrants of 7% of the total national vacancies, which correspond to about 3.500 vacancies. The number of candidates has been growing since 2013, the year in which there was the smallest number ever with only 99 applications.

In the academic year 2019/2020, 483 emigrants and Portuguese-descendants applied, having been placed 416, which represents 86 percent.

“We hope that there will be more and more members and that within two to three years the total number of vacancies will be filled, which is very interesting for our younger people living abroad”, said Berta Nunes to Lusa agency.

The official said that the information and awareness campaign for this possibility which started last year, will be reinforced, namely through advertising in the Portuguese social media.

These are vacancies that do not require a competition and also allow access to students who followed the path of professional education, very common in several of the countries where the presence of the Portuguese community is more intense.

“We want our young people to come and study in Portugal,” she said.