Immigration

Three years after AIMA's creation, immigrants still face difficulties obtaining information

Despite ongoing communication issues with AIMA, the agency reports that all eligible family reunification requests have been scheduled, with over 5,000 processed recently. The 2027 State Budget allocates 135 million euros to the agency—a 38.6% increase over 2026—to support digitization and improved communication. Additionally, César Teixeira will take over as the new president of AIMA in the coming weeks.

Why it matters

If you are waiting for information on your residency or family reunification process, you should monitor the agency's website for upcoming digital improvements, though currently, in-person visits to AIMA offices remain the most reliable way to obtain updates.

Diário de Notícias· 3h agoRead original ↗

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Immigration

AIMA hired 110 workers in a year but lost 91; union warns of staff shortages

The Migration Technicians Union (STM) reports that while AIMA added 110 staff in the last year, it lost 91, largely due to transfers to other public services. Despite a 38.6% funding increase proposed in the 2027 State Budget, the union highlights that 374,000 residency permits were expired as of December 2025, and approximately 85,000 cases remain pending in administrative courts. The union is calling for stable staffing, the reinstatement of immigration liaison officers in foreign embassies, and transparent investment in working conditions for AIMA employees and sociocultural mediators.

CNN Portugal· 1h agoRead original ↗

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Immigration

New Lula government to evaluate Caixa credit proposal for Brazilians to buy homes in Portugal

The Brazilian Embassy in Portugal has proposed a credit line through Brazil's Caixa Econômica Federal and Banco do Brasil to allow Brazilian residents in Portugal to finance home purchases. The proposal is currently under consideration by the Brazilian government, with expectations that the new administration will resume discussions following the recent electoral period.

Diário de Notícias· 18h agoRead original ↗

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Immigration

Portuguese immigration law considered excessively restrictive by legal expert

Legal expert and professor Ana Rita Gil criticized Portugal's current migration legislation as excessively restrictive and pointed out systemic failures in AIMA's administration, marking the agency's three-year anniversary on Thursday 29 October 2026. She highlighted that 85,000 pending cases and a lack of basic communication channels — noting AIMA has no telephone helpline and relies on an unresponsive general email — force immigrants into costly court proceedings to compel administrative decisions. While praising the regularisation of half a million pending cases, she noted that immigrants are frequently left in irregular status due to administrative bottlenecks, barring them from university enrolment, bank accounts, and risking deportation. She also supported the 2024 abolition of the 'manifestação de interesse' mechanism, agreeing it created a pull factor for irregular migration, but criticized the restrictive turn in subsequent regulations.

Observador· 19h agoRead original ↗

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Practical alerts

Media-reported alerts

Prison strike to suspend conjugal visits and food deliveries for six weeks · Correio da Manhã · 9h ago
easyJet strike announced in Portugal for December · The Portugal News · 20h ago
CP strike scheduled for this Friday has been called off · Observador · 1d ago
Police take to streets for better pay and working conditions · Portugal Resident · 2d ago
IP3 closed at night next week for construction works · Observador · 5d ago

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The CP strike on Friday 30 October is cancelled and trains run normally.
CP· Lisbon area +2· on Fri 30 Oct

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