AIMA president to step down for new government role

Monday, 21 September 2026AI summary

🛂 Immigration 🏛️ Government #aima #government-policy #immigration-policy

AIMA president to step down for new government role — Photo: ECO

Pedro Portugal Gaspar is leaving his position as president of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo or AIMA). He has been selected to serve as a board member for the Competition Authority (Autoridade da Concorrência or AdC). His appointment is currently under review by the Assembly of the Republic's Committee on Economy and Territorial Cohesion.

Update: Union criticizes leadership vacuum at AIMA

The Migration Technicians Union (Sindicato dos Técnicos de Migração or STM) has publicly criticized the timing of this departure, warning that the agency faces a critical lack of stability and direction. Union representatives argue that AIMA requires leadership with specific experience in migration sectors to effectively manage its ongoing backlog and operational challenges.

Context & Explainers

AIMA (Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum)

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.

The Competition Authority (Autoridade da Concorrência), commonly called AdC, is Portugal's independent regulator that enforces competition law and advises policymakers. It is pushing for measures like an independent switching entity and IBAN portability to make it easier and cheaper for customers to change banks, which the AdC says would boost competition and lower fees.

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 STM (Sindicato dos Trabalhadores da Migração) is a labor union representing employees of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo or AIMA). The union organizes industrial actions, such as strikes, to advocate for improved working conditions and address staffing challenges within the agency.