From the Economic Times India – please see source for complete article.
An interesting statistic about Indian immigrants in Europe is that Portugal has among the largest numbers of people of Indian origin.
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Indian immigration to Portugal has happened in different waves from the 16th Century onwards. The first wave was the Portuguese ships which carried craftsmen, tailors and others with specialised skills from India to Portugal. They have had a distinct influence on the architecture and culture of our country. The second wave was of Goan intellectuals who went to Portugal to study and then settled down and the third and most significant wave was in 1961, when the people of Goa were given the choice of opting for Portuguese citizenship.
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All the major Indian ethnic groups in Portugal — Goans, Gujaratis, Maharashtrians, Punjabis and Ismailis — maintain family ties in India. This trend attracts more family-based immigrants from various regions. While the Goan Indians have built the lavish Casa de Goa in Portugal, there are temples and mosques as well. Lisbon has a large temple-cum-community centre built by the Gujaratis which is one of the largest in Europe. The Ismaili group has also built an impressive Jamat Khana-cum-community centre.
“The growing economic, educational and cultural links between the governments of India and Portugal has revived the interest on both sides. There is new interest in joint academic work between researchers and students in the two countries. Another new trend is that of highly skilled Indian workers looking at the option of working in Portugal. This is being fuelled by growing business links,” says Mr Xavier.
Ismailimail 