The government of Portugal has approved legislation granting amnesty to about 30,000 illegal immigrants that have been living in the country for over a year, Deutsche Welle reports.

The German news agency says many Brazilians, Chinese, Nepalese and Indonesians have entered Portugal to work without proper visas, and that the new legislation would allow them to stay.

The government aims to bring 75,000 qualified foreigners to Portugal to work, because the population is shrinking and ageing, Deutsche Welle says.