I was found guilty and served a custodial sentence for committing a Section 20 offence in the UK, which refers to unintentional grievous bodily harm (GBH). I’m concerned about how this conviction could impact my ability to obtain residency in Portugal.
Answers
This type of crime is punishable in Portugal with a minimum sentence of 3 years in prison, which means that obtaining a residence visa for Portugal may be impossible.
In this case, everything will depend on when the crime was prosecuted. If it was more than 5 years ago, there won't be a problem, if it was less than 5 years ago, the Immigration Agency in Portugal may refuse the visa.
All residence visas/permits for Portugal are subject to an analysis of the applicant's criminal antecedents. The permit shall be denied if the applicant has been convicted of a crime that, under Portuguese law, would be punished with a prison sentence of more than one year, even if this has not been served or its execution has been suspended. A concrete answer would always depend on the content of the applicant's criminal record certificate.