In response to immigrant appeals, the agency facilitates the inclusion of the Social Security number in online processes, allows computer systems to speak and tries to reduce queues at the Anjos post.
The target of constant criticism and symbol of the inefficiency of the Portuguese State, the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) began to respond to the appeals made by immigrants, who are unable to access basic services to regularize the documentary situation in Portugal. The public body began to allow the insertion, through its website, of the NISS, the number of registration of citizens in Social Security. Without NISS, no lawsuit is in the IMA.
"There are many complaints about this issue," says lawyer Elaine Linhares, who leads a group of law professionals who have been supplying the Portuguese Bar Association about the reality in AIMA and about the most frequent problems faced by immigrants. On October 2, she personally was with the President of the Order, João Massano, who, on October 8, met with AIMA leaders.
In order for immigrants to overcome the NISS obstacle, AIMA has created a specific form and promises answers within three business days. The difficulties with the NISS are faced by immigrants who emigrate to Portugal with search visas for work and by citizens who already have residence permits and are trying to renew them. When these documents were issued, there was no need to inform the Social Security registration number. Without a specific field for this information, the request for renovation of the residences was locked.
AIMA, as confirmed by the agency’s press office, also connected the computer systems used in all its posts and in the Mission Structure. Until recently, the two systems were not talked about, making it difficult to provide services to immigrants. "Now, even, all those who have some process in progress in the agency can follow, step by step, what is being done, whether there are pending, whether the application for residence has been deferred or not," Elaine explains.
This follow-up was not possible even by the lawyers, leaving many people not knowing what was happening to their lawsuits. “It is essential that people know what is happening so that they can solve any problems within the deadlines,” Elaine said. The lack of transparency was even leading to a large number of rejections of residence permit requests without immigrants even knowing the reasons. “We are talking about an important advance,” he acknowledges.
Another novelty of AIMA was clear to those who dawned this Monday (20/10) at the door of the service station located in the neighborhood of Anjos, central region of Lisbon. The post, considered strategic within the organization chart of the agency, usually provides between 20 and 30 passwords per day. "On Monday, about 250 passwords were distributed as of 6:30 a.m. They put everyone in line inside the post,” Elaine said.
To meet this much larger number of immigrants, AIMA transferred, into the rank of the Angels, employees who had been working in the Mission Structure. "All very polite and patient to give citizens the right information, which was unthinkable until days ago," she said. "It is now foreseen that immigrants who are with pending deliveries of criminal record and passport, can do so personally in that post," he adds.
The perspective of the Portuguese Bar Association is to keep relations with the AIMA quite fluid, so that the complaints against the agency decrease and the Government can resolve the pending as soon as possible. The Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, António Leitão Amaro, has said that the Executive does not want to take major problems for 2026, which will tend to lower the pressure on the AIMA. According to Leitão Amaro, in total, there was a pile of almost 900 thousand pending cases in the AIMA in April 2024.