All foreigners who have spent the required amount of time to get naturalized may be affected by this potential change, claims Journal Jurid. According to EU Helpers, the Parliament will shortly examine the law as it is and make changes to how long a visitor must remain in the country before becoming a citizen.

The Journal Jurid notes that "at the moment, a foreigner living in the country has his time count reset when receiving formal authorization to stay in Portugal."

The local media reports that in 2022, some 37% more people submitted applications, indicating an increase in interest in Portuguese nationality in recent years. The overall quantity of applications received during this time, according to the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), was 74,506.

Out of this total, the relevant authorities provided 64,040 opinions, just 911 of which were unfavorable, and the vast majority were good. According to origin countries, Israel (20,975), Brazil (18,591), and Cape Verde (3662) accounted for the majority of persons who were granted Portuguese citizenship in 2022.

However, Brazilian citizens (9,435), Venezuelans (1,536), and Cape Verdeans (900) submitted the most applications for the acquisition of nationality by marriage or a de facto relationship.

Despite the fact that the European nation and the South American nation have longstanding ties in culture, linguistics, and history, Israeli nationals, who are the main nationality group that applied for Portuguese citizenship in recent years, have surpassed Brazilian nationals as the largest nationality group that wants to acquire Portuguese nationality.

The most fascinating thing about Israelis living in Portugal is that, despite getting citizenship, they rarely stay there. 60,000 Israelis will have Portuguese nationality by 2022, yet only 569 of them will dwell in Portugal. 239,744 Brazilians, according to Brazilians, remained in Portugal after attaining citizenship.

Israeli citizens who gain Portuguese citizenship may benefit from lower taxes, lower living expenses, and a less stressful lifestyle overall compared to citizens of other nations. The language barrier and reduced salary are some drawbacks, as was said.

Traveling in the Schengen borderless area is one of the main advantages of Portuguese citizenship, while Israeli passport holders are still subject to negotiations for the EU and US visa waiver programs.

The Descendants Policy, a program that allows Israeli nationals with descendants in the nation to acquire Portuguese nationality more easily than other nationalities, was the last year in which they could apply for nationality. As a result, the number of Israelis applying for Portuguese citizenship may decline.