Nearly three thousand Nepalese people, who have been working in Portugal since 2022, have been ordered to leave the country after submitting genuine criminal records to AIMA that contained forged stamps, the result of a scam they fell victim to. To try to prevent their expulsion, they are turning to the Judicial Police, the courts, and have the support of the Nepalese Embassy. “We are talking about innocent, peaceful people who do not cause problems in society and are good workers.”
“We are not criminals, we are victims.” AIMA orders the expulsion of thousands of Nepalese who were scammed
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.
AI Summary AvailableThousands of Nepalese residents face potential expulsionRead the synthesized summary with context and explainers
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