More than 100,000 young people have asked for their tuition fees to be returned, two months before the deadline, which ends on May 31, and at a time when some emigrants are facing difficulties in submitting the request.
The salary premium for upgrading qualifications, which basically corresponds to the return of tuition fees, is a measure provided for in the State Budget for 2024 and is aimed at young people up to the age of 35 who live and work in Portugal.
The application form became available on February 29 and, according to data updated today at 12:17 on the ePortugal portal, 100,791 young people have already submitted it.
The prize corresponds to an annual payment of 697 euros for a bachelor’s degree and 1,500 euros for a master’s degree, for the period equivalent to the duration of the course.
For example, in the case of a three-year degree, you will receive three annual awards of 697 euros.
Young workers residing in Portugal, up to the age of 35, who have completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree in public, private, national or foreign higher education institutions in 2023 or earlier, as long as it has been less than the number of years the course has lasted, are eligible.
Although it covers foreigners, Lusa knows that some have had difficulty submitting the request, since authentication on the portal must be done using a citizen’s card or a digital mobile key, which foreigners can activate with their passport details, residence permit or tax identification number.
This is the case of Carolina Ferreira, a young Brazilian woman who, after doing her master’s degree in Portugal, stayed and worked in the country.
Her boyfriend, Pedro Francisco, explained to Lusa that Carolina was able to access the ePortugal portal with her digital mobile key, but the problem arose when they tried to submit the form: “Then it gave an error and wouldn’t let them submit it”.
They asked for help from the Agency for Administrative Modernization (AMA) which, according to Pedro Francisco, initially admitted an error in the platform, but the difficulties persisted even after they were told it had been resolved.
“I contacted the citizen’s line and was told that the best thing to do would be to open a support request on the portal,” she added, noting that the young woman has so far been unable to do so.
Lusa questioned AMA about the case, also asking for an assessment of the number of applications submitted by foreign citizens, but received no reply.
