Miguel Soares Teixeira
Top Concerns
System functionality
"Why doesn't anything work? Healthcare appointments, licenses, bureaucracy—Netherlands does this better."
Children's adaptation
"Are they happy here? Is this fair to them?"
Portugal's trajectory
"Did I come back to a country that's improving or declining?"
Tax situation
"The returnee benefits expire. What then? Can I justify staying?"
Chega's rise
"I left a tolerant country. Will Portugal become something else?"
Background
Miguel left Portugal in 2010, during the troika crisis. He was 28, with a freshly minted master's and no job prospects. Amsterdam offered what Lisbon couldn't—a salary that matched his skills, opportunities for growth, a functioning system. He built his career there, met Sofia (also Portuguese), had children who speak better Dutch than Portuguese.
They always planned to return "someday." Then COVID made remote work permanent. The children were getting older, asking about avós they barely knew. Property prices in Amsterdam became insane. Portugal introduced tax incentives for returnees. In 2023, they made the leap.
The return has been complicated. Portugal is different from his memories—more diverse, more expensive, more chaotic. His children struggle with the school system, the heat, the grandmother who doesn't understand their Dutch. Sofia misses her friends in Amsterdam. The things that work seamlessly in Netherlands—healthcare appointments, bureaucracy, public transport—are frustrating here.
But the weather is glorious. Family dinners are everything he missed. The children are learning their heritage. He's not sure if it was the right choice.
Economic Situation
Income level
Upper middle (€5,500/month remote salary)
Income source
Remote employment (Dutch company, Dutch salary)
Financial stress
Low (but aware of expat privilege)
Housing burden
25%
Trajectory
Stable but dependent on remote work continuing
In Their Own Voice
"It's complicated. The food is better than I remembered, the weather is heaven, my mother cries happy tears when the kids visit. But the SNS is a disaster, getting anything done takes forever, and I watch Portuguese friends my age still living like students while I earn Dutch rates. I don't know if Portugal is broken or if I've just seen how it should work."
— On Portugal
"Stop talking about the 'brain drain' like it's a tragedy and start fixing why people leave. I came back because remote work let me keep my salary. Most emigrants can't do that. Give people reasons to stay—real jobs, real healthcare, real housing."
— To Politicians
Hopes
For themselves
himself
"I hope this was the right choice. That my kids grow up knowing their roots. That I don't regret disrupting our stable life in Amsterdam."
his children
"I want them to love Portugal like I do. To feel Portuguese, not just visiting. To have the choice to stay here as adults."
Personal fears
"That the children resent us for this. That Sofia never adjusts. That we end up going back, having disrupted everything for nothing."
What he'd say to someone who disagrees with him politically
"I'm not attached to parties. I just want competence. I've seen countries where healthcare works, where paperwork takes days not months, where roads get repaired. Portugal can do this. It's about political will, not left or right."
His message to politicians
"Stop talking about the 'brain drain' like it's a tragedy and start fixing why people leave. I came back because remote work let me keep my salary. Most emigrants can't do that. Give people reasons to stay—real jobs, real healthcare, real housing."
For Portugal
Portugal
"I hope Portugal can become a country where my kids can build careers, not just visit grandparents. Where systems work, and it's not just cheap living for those with foreign salaries."
Fears for Portugal
"That it doesn't change. That the things that drove me away in 2010 still drive the next generation away. That I'm just a tourist with a passport."
How he'd describe Portugal today
"It's complicated. The food is better than I remembered, the weather is heaven, my mother cries happy tears when the kids visit. But the SNS is a disaster, getting anything done takes forever, and I watch Portuguese friends my age still living like students while I earn Dutch rates. I don't know if Portugal is broken or if I've just seen how it should work."
Fears
For themselves
Personal fears
"That the children resent us for this. That Sofia never adjusts. That we end up going back, having disrupted everything for nothing."
His message to politicians
"Stop talking about the 'brain drain' like it's a tragedy and start fixing why people leave. I came back because remote work let me keep my salary. Most emigrants can't do that. Give people reasons to stay—real jobs, real healthcare, real housing."
For Portugal
Fears for Portugal
"That it doesn't change. That the things that drove me away in 2010 still drive the next generation away. That I'm just a tourist with a passport."
How he'd describe Portugal today
"It's complicated. The food is better than I remembered, the weather is heaven, my mother cries happy tears when the kids visit. But the SNS is a disaster, getting anything done takes forever, and I watch Portuguese friends my age still living like students while I earn Dutch rates. I don't know if Portugal is broken or if I've just seen how it should work."
What he'd say to someone who disagrees with him politically
"I'm not attached to parties. I just want competence. I've seen countries where healthcare works, where paperwork takes days not months, where roads get repaired. Portugal can do this. It's about political will, not left or right."
Candidate Reactions
How this person would react to each candidate winning
Independent ("My party is Portugal")
Henrique Gouveia e Melo
Key trigger: Competence, efficiency; proved himself with vaccines
PSD/CDS backing (center-right)
Luís Marques Mendes
Key trigger: Stable, experienced, reform rhetoric
Iniciativa Liberal
João Cotrim Figueiredo
Key trigger: Reform focus; but too market-absolutist
PS (center-left)
António José Seguro
Key trigger: PS hasn't fixed system issues
Bloco de Esquerda (left)
Catarina Martins
Key trigger: Values progressive views; skeptical on execution
Chega (far-right)
André Ventura
Key trigger: Too divisive; not the Portugal he wants
PCP (Communist Party)
António Filipe
Key trigger: "Not realistic about what Portugal needs"
Information Sources
Where they get their information
community
High TrustOther returnee families, expat networks, colleagues
online
Medium-HighPúblico, NRC (Dutch), international news
None regular
social media
Medium TrustLinkedIn, Twitter/X, Facebook
tv
Medium TrustRTP, international streams
Voting History
Past electoral choices and patterns
Center-right, but open
AD (PSD)
"Time for change from PS, seemed reformist"
Voted from NL for PSD
"Habit"
Voted from NL for Marcelo
"Stability"