AIMA at three: 85,000 lawsuits from immigrants, and the only way to find out about your case is still to queue
On 29 October the immigration agency AIMA turned three. Immigrants queuing last week outside its office in Anjos, Lisbon, told the same story as in 2024 and 2025: nobody answers the phone or replies to emails, and the only way to find out what is happening with a case is to turn up in person (DN Brasil).
The immigration service workers' union STM marked the anniversary with its own figures. Over three years the number of foreigners in the country has risen from one million to 1.6 million, while AIMA's staff has grown by only 18%: last year 110 people joined and 91 left. The backlog of old cases was handled by a separate temporary team of 1,610 staff, which issued more than 300,000 residence permit cards. Renewals, however, have fallen behind: by December 2025, 374,000 cards had expired, and decisions had been made on only 10% of renewal applications (Notícias ao Minuto).
Many people only get a decision by going to court: immigrants have now filed around 85,000 lawsuits against AIMA in the administrative courts. According to the union, the reception centres in Lisbon and Porto are overcrowded. The 2027 budget sets aside €135 million for AIMA, 38.6% more than in 2026.
The agency itself says family reunification cases are now its biggest workload: last week alone more than 5,000 people were given appointments. According to a source at AIMA, every family reunification application that is ready for processing now has an appointment. The agency promises to move more services online and says applicants can follow their case on its website; emails are already sorted by artificial intelligence, but the replies come from staff. César Teixeira will take charge of the agency in the coming weeks (DN Brasil).
For how to book an appointment with AIMA and renew a residence permit, see our guide.
