Rui Abreu, the regional director for Communities and External Cooperation, explained that without specifying numbers, that the Venezuelan community is made up, above all, of family members and friends of Madeiran emigrants who returned to the region between 2016 and 2019, due to political and socio-economic instability in that South American country.

British community

The second largest immigrant community residing in Madeira is the British, followed by the Brazilian, German and French.

“Before the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, we were witnessing a sharp growth of Russian citizens and Ukrainian citizens requesting residence in Madeira”, said Rui Abreu, explaining that, in general, immigrants seek the archipelago to live in due to “social stability” and “excellent climate”.

“I think this will be a trend that will continue,” he declared.

On the other hand, the president of the High Commissioner for Migration highlighted the “harmonious way” in which the various communities live together in the autonomous region.