The deadline for former Immigration and Borders Service (SEF) inspectors to work at Portuguese airports ends next Thursday, April 9. However, according to the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI), not all professionals will leave. The ministry stated that inspectors with specific technical expertise, such as document analysis, will remain until PSP officers are fully trained. The PJ criminal investigation union expressed uncertainty regarding these extensions, noting that previous deadlines were changed at the last minute. Meanwhile, the union has criticised the transfer of 100 PSP officers to the Lisbon Municipal Police, arguing that these resources should be prioritised for border control.
Former SEF inspectors to leave airports in a week, but not all of them
Thursday, 2 April 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
Temporary residence is a limited residence permit that allows non‑EU nationals to live in Portugal for a set period (commonly one year, renewable) for study, work or other reasons. The Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (AIMA) launching an online form means eligible students who also work can apply or regularise their status more easily through AIMA’s process rather than only via consular services.
The AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo—Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum) is Portugal's immigration authority responsible for managing residence permits, visa processing, asylum, and immigrant integration.
History: AIMA replaced the dissolved SEF (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras) on October 29, 2023, following a 2021 Assembly decision. SEF's dissolution was motivated by reform needs, administrative inefficiencies, and a 2020 scandal involving a Ukrainian national's death in custody. SEF's responsibilities were redistributed: security functions to PSP/GNR/PJ, and administrative immigration matters to AIMA and IRN.
Expat Interface: Expats contact AIMA for residence permit applications and renewals (D7 passive income, D8 digital nomad, Golden Visa), family reunification, asylum requests, and visa extensions. AIMA operates 34 service counters nationwide, requires complete document submission (mandatory since April 2025), and processes cases that typically take 6-18 months. The agency inherited 300,000+ pending cases from SEF, with government funding allocated to clear backlogs.
Pedro Gaspar is the president of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo or AIMA). His office is responsible for migration and asylum policies, so changes or statements from him affect migrants, asylum seekers and those using integration services in Portugal.
The Foreigners and Borders Service (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras or SEF) was a police agency responsible for border control and immigration management until it was abolished in October 2023. Its functions were transferred to other entities, such as the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo or AIMA) and the police forces, following a restructuring intended to separate administrative services from security enforcement.
