New regulation to modernize and simplify immigration procedures in Portugal

• 14 December, 23

According to the legal regime of Foreign Law in Portugal (Law no.23/2007), the Portuguese Government has launched a plan for immigration proceedings in Portugal in 2024 that aims to be faster and simpler the administrative procedures currently in place by the immigration authorities to ensure that the new agency AIMA will have the necessary tools to analyze and decide the cases in a timelier manner, with less bureaucracy, but still increased security requirements.

With the recent changes to the Law, which were also included in the “More Housing” program and the replacement of SEF to the new agency, AIMA proceeded and operated. The launch of AIMA aims to divide powers and responsibilities between the police and administration. At the same time, the agency is funded by 81 million euros, and more than 95% of the global budget is provided by free revenue or European funds.

Since succeeding SEF, AIMA has operated with 740 employees in 34 offices across Portugal and inherited 347,000 pending cases at the old operating agency. Because of the obstacle of having to urgently resolve about 347,000 pending cases in just one and a half years, AIMA has been overloaded because of the huge workload but the number of personnel is deficient.

To urgently resolve this situation, in the coming year, AIMA will open an additional 10 offices as well as launch an online appointment scheduling portal for resident permit applications. Furthermore, it will allocate 190 more human resources, and coordinate with People’s Committees and local offices to support immigrants. Quickly resolve pending applications. In particular, in the backlog of 347,000 cases, AIMA will prioritize thoroughly resolving and legalizing family reunification cases by the end of this year to the first quarter of 2024.

These measures align with the government’s announced plan for the new agency to solve the current backlog and delay in the analysis of applications.

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