Funchal, Portugal, April 15, 2025 (Lusa) - Portugal's minister of foreign affairs said on Tuesday that it was a "great day" for those who defend regulated immigration and that the provisions of the new fast-track system for hiring immigrants, which has now come into force, is make it a better system than the previous one. "I'd like to say that today is a great day for those who defend regulated immigration, that is, the idea that we can't be in the system we've been in until now, in recent years, which is a system of wide-open doors, which has, in fact, led to many complications, even for the lives of those who want to work in Portugal, who are so necessary," the minister, Paulo Rangel, told journalists after the ceremony in Funchal at which the 16th regional government of Madeira took office, once again headed by Miguel Albuquerque of the centre-right Social Democratic Party, which is also in power at national level. Rangel argued that it is "very important" for there to be regulation in the field of immigration, for people to arrive in the country "already with a work contract, with housing capacity" and not to be in precarious situations as happens today "particularly in the big [population] centres" with overcrowded housing. He emphasised that the new programme that came into force on Tuesday "is a policy that regulates, that controls, that is also profoundly humanist, that aims to restore the integrity of the rights of those who come to help the economy, especially in some much-needed sectors," listing tourism, agriculture and construction among others. The minister also said that he doesn't like the term "fast track" - arguing that "it can give the idea" that the country is "despatching people" and this is "not what this is about." He also emphasised that the new system is the work of several ministries, as well as companies - which under the new scheme are involved in identifying future employees - stressing that, where the integration of immigrants is concerned, the state Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) plays an important role. "So, honestly, I think it's an experiment, it's a new system, but I think it will certainly work much better than the previous one," Rangel said. Regarding the statements made by the Consular Workers Union (STC) to the effect that there are not enough staff in Portuguese consulates to implement and fulfil the deadlines set out in the fast-track system for hiring immigrants, Rangel said that 50 more visa experts have been hired and will start work in May and that "there have never been so many people working in the Directorate-General for Consular Affairs." Portugal's consular services are committed to responding within 20 days to requests for work visas under the new fast-track scheme for the hiring of immigrants by Portuguese companies, according to the protocol signed with the main employer confederations. This measure allows companies to hire directly abroad, after the government decreed the end of the previous route of 'expressions of interest' - whereby until last summer people already in the country on a tourist visa could secure legal resident status in Portugal. The signatories of the protocol recognise that "labour immigration plays a fundamental role in Portugal's economic development" and that "over the years, immigrants have contributed significantly to various sectors of the Portuguese economy, bringing with them a variety of skills, experiences and knowledge that enrich the labour market and boost the country's growth." The document acknowledges that "a significant part of the workforce in specific sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, construction, tourism and services or industry comes from abroad, and foreign citizens make an invaluable contribution to these economic areas, filling gaps in the labour market and ensuring the continuity of operations in the various economic activities." Companies are to submit a request to schedule the visa applications, gathering all the necessary documentation, "signing the necessary term of responsibility for the worker(s)," according to the text of the protocol, which came into force on Tuesday. TFS/ARO // ARO. Lusa