IOM organized a study visit in Portugal, between June 20th and 24th of 2022, for trainers from IOM Egypt, IOM Turkey and IOM Jordan who organize the pre-departure orientation for refugee families before they are resettled to Portugal.

The visit allowed the trainers to better understand the process of integration of refugees in Portugal in order to better manage refugee families' expectations about the procedures in the country. The group had the opportunity to meet with teams from:

• The Refugees and Asylum Office from the Portuguese Immigration and Border Service (GAR - SEF) to discuss topics related to the process of asylum and the status of refugees in Portugal, what type of biometric data is collected by SEF in Portugal, how refugees can apply for a special passport if they need to travel, and how the family reunification process works.
• The Refugee Integration Support department from the High Commission for Migration (NAIR - ACM), to address subjects related to the "matching" process of refugees with their host institutions, language classes, pocket money, education and recepetion conditions in general.
• The host organization team from Associação ESTAR, to talk about their story and origin, the type of support they provide for refugee families and the main challenges. The team also organized a tour in the Beja city, to meet the local SEF services, the local health unit and the local context.
• The Portuguese Council for Refugees (CPR), to address topics regarding the type of medical assistance provided in CPR, Portuguese classes, the provision of food, the challenges in education for adults, and other important topics related to their overall support.