Legal: Residency permits news in Portugal

The Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (AIMA) reports that only 30,000 cases remain from an initial backlog of nearly one million. Through an extraordinary regularization operation, the agency has processed over 500,000 cases to date.

A group of 1,260 foreign investors has lodged a collective complaint with the Ombudsman’s Office (Provedoria de Justiça) regarding the new Nationality Law. The investors are requesting that the new Ombudsman, Luísa Neto, refer the law to the Constitutional Court to protect those who had already initiated their citizenship applications.

Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro has accused lawyers and consultants of misleading clients regarding access to Portuguese nationality through Residence Permits for Investment (Autorizações de Residência para Investimento or ARI). The government maintains that the link between these investment visas and citizenship was never a guaranteed rule.

The number of new lawsuits challenging expulsion orders, voluntary departure requests, and residence permit denials reached its highest level in Lisbon this April since at least January 2025. Data from the Superior Council of Administrative and Tax Courts (Conselho Superior dos Tribunais Administrativos e Fiscais or CSTAF) indicates a growing trend in legal disputes involving the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo or AIMA).

Update: Record number of legal challenges filed in Lisbon

Administrative courts recorded 496 new cases in April alone, bringing the total number of pending residency-related disputes to 2,271. This surge follows a review process by AIMA that resulted in a high volume of permit rejections, prompting the establishment of a judicial task force to address the growing backlog.

The Judiciary Police (Polícia Judiciária or PJ) opened a record 177 investigations into sham marriages in 2025, a significant increase from previous years. Authorities report that the rise follows the 2024 abolition of the expression of interest mechanism, which previously allowed foreign nationals to obtain residency through tax contributions. Criminal networks are reportedly recruiting vulnerable Portuguese individuals via social media to participate in these fraudulent unions.

Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro confirmed that the national immigrant integration plan is still being drafted. The announcement follows public criticism from immigrant advocates regarding the performance of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo or AIMA).

The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) has opened an internal inquiry after the Judicial Police (PJ) conducted searches at its office in Ponta Delgada. The agency stated it is providing full cooperation with the authorities regarding the investigation.

The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo or AIMA) has reversed multiple expulsion orders against foreign residents in the last month after media intervention. In one case, the agency ordered a resident to leave despite her daughter's residency permit being renewed, later citing an administrative error.

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.

The government of Nepal has formally requested assistance from Portuguese authorities regarding the status of 2,800 Nepalese nationals currently at risk of expulsion. The situation highlights ongoing bureaucratic challenges faced by foreign residents in Portugal as the country manages its immigration processes. No immediate resolution has been announced by the Portuguese government.

Hundreds of immigrants, primarily from Nepal, have filed complaints with the Judicial Police (Polícia Judiciária or PJ) regarding forged criminal record certificates (Certificado de Registo Criminal). The Nepalese embassy estimates at least 2,000 victims were scammed by companies promising legal documents for residency applications. Visa holders should note that AIMA has already identified nearly 3,000 applications with fraudulent stamps, which could lead to expulsion.

The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo or AIMA) released guidance to help immigrants avoid technical errors on its digital portals. Users are advised to use short filenames without special characters, accents (acentos), or cedillas (cedilhas) to speed up the analysis of residency processes. Those awaiting residency should be aware that switching browsers or checking file sizes can also resolve submission failures.

The Portuguese Bar Association (Ordem dos Advogados) is calling for the creation of a specialized court to handle the massive backlog of immigration-related lawsuits. João Massano, head of the Lisbon Regional Council, estimated that there are currently 200,000 cases pending in administrative courts against the Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo (AIMA). Visa holders and those awaiting residency should note that the proposal aims to speed up judicial decisions through mediation and specialized judges.