The Portuguese government recently announced the launch of the Integrar Program , an initiative aimed at assisting foreigners who have moved to the country in search of new job opportunities.
AIMA gives less than 24 hours for immigrants to attend service and away from home
With such short deadlines, requiring long displacement, many immigrants are not able to answer the agency’s calls with all the organized documentation. The risk of being rejected is great.
Within the foreign population, Brazilians represent the largest group. They account for over 37%, followed by citizens of India, with just over 6.5%, and Nepal, with 4.3%. Cape Verde and Angola are also on the list, with less than 4%.
Immigrants are increasingly paying into Social Security . In 2024, they contributed five times more than they received. In the last three years, the amount they paid into Social Security has doubled.
Organizations speak of the need to resolve migrants' problems, such as housing, and warn of the "increase in hate speech and anti-immigration."
In an open letter addressed to the ministers of the Presidency, Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs, 37 civil society organizations call for "dignified, fair and effective measures and policies for the reception, integration and inclusion of migrants".
In a note sent to PÚBLICO Brasil, the migration agency ensures that self-employed immigrants, with at least 12 contributions to Social Security, but without expressing interest, will be assisted.
According to the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) all immigrants who use green receipts to provide services in Portugal will be covered by the transitional regime for the expression of interest. In other words, they will be able to regularize their situation. To do so, however, they must prove at least 12 months of contributions, even if spaced out, to Social Security.
The Portuguese government is working on a weekend, an online platform that allows the regularization of the employment contract of those who have already contributed to Social Security before June 4, 2024. This step, waiting for the sudden end of the expression of interest to the government, represents an important step to remove thousands of people from legal bodies. However, this initiative does not cover those who contribute independently or act as self-employed.
The initiative, now put into practice, was created from a bill by the Liberal Initiative (IL), approved in October in Parliament, with only votes against from the Chega party.
Immigrants who did not make an Expression of Interest, but who were registered with Social Security before June 4, 2024 and who are working, can register under the Government's transitional regime. The portal was opened on Saturday night (25). The link can be accessed here .
The online renewal portal was last opened in May last year. The agency has not commented on the matter.
The leader of the PS admits that the party has made mistakes in recent years regarding immigration. Pedro Nuno Santos rejects a return to the regime of expression of interest, which ended by decision of the Government of Luís Montenegro.
Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) has made significant strides in addressing the backlog of over 400,000 pending residency applications, having processed more than 200,000 cases and issued at least 6,000 residence permits. This effort is supported by a €5.97 million investment in the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), as outlined in Resolution No. 7/2025, published on January 21 in the Official Gazette.
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