The Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (AIMA) is facing scrutiny after reports of an attempt to expel a long-term resident. The individual, who has lived in Portugal for eight years, reportedly cannot renew her documents due to a lack of response from AIMA, despite having established a home and business in the country.

The government has increased funding for the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) to €28 million over the next three years. This investment aims to strengthen socio-cultural mediation and leverage synergies created by the mission structure tasked with recovering pending immigration processes.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva concluded his visit to Portugal this Tuesday, meeting with Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and President of the Republic António José Seguro. While the visit focused on strengthening bilateral ties and trade, Lula did not address specific changes to Portuguese immigration and nationality laws, disappointing some members of the Brazilian community. Montenegro highlighted that Portugal has regularized over 235,000 Brazilian immigrant applications in the last two years.

Legal professionals are denouncing the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo or AIMA) for failing to pay for services rendered. Lawyers hired to analyze migration cases report thousands of euros in outstanding payments, noting the situation deteriorated following the conclusion of a specific task force. The president of AIMA stated that approximately 200,000 euros remain to be settled.

The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo or AIMA) has reopened its online portal for family reunification requests. The service is now available to citizens of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa or CPLP) seeking to bring minor children to Portugal. This development occurs ahead of the visit by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is expected to discuss immigration policy with Prime Minister Luís Montenegro.

The expiration of the exceptional validity period for residence permits on April 15, 2026, has left approximately 8,000 immigrant drivers unable to work. Platforms require valid documentation to keep accounts active, and the Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (AIMA) has failed to meet the 60-day deadline for issuing physical cards. Many affected workers, including a large number of Brazilian nationals, have been waiting months for their definitive permits.

Approximately 8,000 drivers for ride-hailing platforms (Transporte Individual e Remunerado de Passageiros em Veículos Descaracterizados a partir de Plataforma Eletrónica or TVDE) have been blocked from working due to pending residency permit renewals. The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo or AIMA) has clarified that proof of an ongoing renewal process should be sufficient for drivers to continue their operations.

The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo or AIMA) has acknowledged a procedural error in the residency renewal application of a nine-year-old Brazilian child. The agency confirmed that the previously issued notice requiring the child to leave the country has been cancelled and the process is being corrected.

Update: AIMA faces further criticism over residency errors

Reports have emerged of additional administrative errors, including a case where a 41-year-old Brazilian woman was incorrectly registered as a minor, and her husband was denied residency renewal due to alleged failure to prove housing. These cases have intensified public scrutiny regarding the agency's efficiency in processing residency applications.

The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo or AIMA) now allows immigrants enrolled in vocational courses to request residency appointment slots through its official online contact form. This administrative pathway aims to help thousands of students regularize their status in Portugal.

Nearly 3,000 Nepalese nationals living in Portugal are at risk of expulsion after submitting residency applications that included forged stamps on otherwise genuine criminal records. These individuals, who have been working in the country since 2022, were reportedly victims of a scam. The government of Nepal has formally requested assistance from Portuguese authorities to resolve the status of these residents.

Cultural mediators working for the Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (AIMA) have announced a strike for Monday to protest their working conditions. The workers are demanding integration into the agency's permanent staff, salary parity, and formal recognition of their roles. They argue that without their mediation services, the agency cannot effectively process the needs of the immigrant community.

Update: Mediators protest at Government headquarters

Striking cultural mediators gathered at the Government headquarters today to press their demands for integration into AIMA's permanent staff. The protest coincides with the start of their industrial action, showing ongoing labor disputes within the agency responsible for immigrant integration.