Description of the integration initiative implemented
The participant decided to come to Portugal at the end of the 90s, a period that corresponded to a great migratory flow of workers from Eastern Europe to Portugal, mainly to work in construction, especially in large public sector build sites.
To organize her trip, she turned to a labour recruitment agency that also organized the trip and provided information on the necessary documentation for regular entry into the country.

When she arrived she immediately started to work and had shared accommodations. As she started to organize herself economically and learned the language, she started her integration process autonomously. She rented a room and established a network of friends and acquaintances that was made up of other people of Moldovan nationality, of Portuguese and of other nationalities.

In the context of work, she met her Portuguese husband. After they married, they opened a restaurant where they work, they bought a house and have a son who was born in Portugal, did all his schooling here and is taking a course in tourism.
She says that her husband's family welcomed her very well and that she has been able to carry out her main personal and professional projects.

Personal story
She was born in Moldova, still a Soviet Republic and she finished her Nursing course in 1994. In 1998 she decided to come to Portugal to work.
When she arrived in Portugal she started working in a canteen for construction workers.
The trip from Moldova to Portugal was made by bus, she arrived in Lisbon, where she already had a job and accommodations. The trip was organized by a recruitment agency that also provided information on the necessary documentation to enter the country. To make ends meet, she used all the money she had saved in the years she worked in Moldova and had to borrow money from an aunt.
When she arrived in Portugal, she lived in a shared accommodation, which in her words “was a challenge”, she later managed to rent a room at the home of an African family, in the Lisbon area, where she felt very welcomed.
Language learning was relatively quick, and it was facilitated by having always worked with Portuguese people, which contributed to her quickly beginning to understand Portuguese. One strategy she used was to read newspapers and magazines, she never attended any Portuguese course, but she considers the understanding of the language and autonomy in its use a fundamental to a successful inclusion process.
In Portugal she met her husband, at work. She married, always worked with her husband, first in construction site canteens, later in managing a restaurant and then in her own restaurant. In this sense, this woman's professional career is also a family project.

At the family level, it should be noted that the participant married a Portuguese citizen and has a 19-year-old son, with dual nationality. At this moment, she lives with her family in her own house and has her mother with her, who has residence permits in the country.
This woman currently has dual nationality (Moldovan and Portuguese)
The visa renewal process, residence permit and nationality have always been dealt with the support of a private company that has recourse to resolve these issues at the family level and also with regard to the regularization of the situation of some immigrant people who work at their restaurant.

Regarding the comparison between the form of treatment of women in Moldova and Portugal, she says that, in a professional context, it is difficult to make this comparison. In Moldova she was a nurse and in Portugal she always worked in restoration, when she arrived in Portugal, she served at the table. In this regard, she says that men (construction workers) treated immigrant women differently than they treated Portuguese women, with less respectful observations directed at young immigrant women being frequent. In the family domain, she considers that in her country of origin, women stay at home longer after the birth of the children and that later she also have the perception that they dedicate more time to their children. In this comparison, the participant observes that she is not sure that the greater dedication of women to children and family is a real benefit for her affirmation in the job market.
In the first years in Portugal, she still looked for information on the recognition of her Nursing diploma, however she realized that to see her academic and professional title recognized, she would have to study three years in a higher education institution. However, as she got married, had a child, and embraced the project of managing a restaurant with her husband, she abandoned the project of being a nurse in Portugal.

About the projects and migration path, the participant states that her main objectives have been achieved, she says that the family, their professional and economic situations correspond and even exceed their initial expectations. She does not pose the possibility of returning to Moldova, she considers that her life project is in Portugal.

Analysis of the initiative and individual story
This woman's trajectory reveals above all an enormous determination that is visible in the entire migration process, from the decision to come to Portugal, through the progressive autonomy of the group of people with whom she came, and the business and investment plan that was consolidated with her husband.

Despite having been successful in her migratory journey, she understands the difficulties and challenges facing foreign people in Portugal. In the participant's narrative, some protective factors are identified that, articulated, end up minimizing any vulnerabilities experienced by young immigrant women. From a personal point of view stands out her determination and ability to plan her objectives and strategies to achieve them very clearly, which is very visible in learning the Portuguese language or in business and investment development strategies.
Marriage to a Portuguese person and the reception in the family of her husband are also considered by this woman as factors that enhance the inclusion, in the family support network, of language learning and support in the management of daily life.

The processes related to residence permits and subsequently to the issues of the application for nationality are described as accessible and clear. In this regard, it should be noted that the family and professional environment allows access to the contracting of support services and specialized advice in the treatment of legal and bureaucratic aspects. It is very present in her speech the idea that it is necessary to scrupulously comply with all legal requirements in order not to have any problems.
Regarding future projects, the participant plans, in the future, to pass the restaurant on to her son who is studying hospitality and tourism and when that time comes her intention is to live off the income resulting from some real estate investments they have made.

Results and Impact
The way this couple built their professional path, and their business allows them to have a comfortable life even though it was built with hard work.
Despite the pandemic situation and the restrictions imposed on the catering sector, the participant trusts in the ability to overcome this phase without compromising the viability of the business.
This woman's son did a successful school career, studies in higher education, is well included in his community and his friends are mainly Portuguese.
This family regularly goes to Moldova on vacation, visiting family and friends, but the future is in Portugal.
The participant described her economic and family situation as stable, which allowed her to bring her mother from Moldova, which also constitutes the achievement of one of her goals.