In October 2023, the Portuguese inmigration agency SEF (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras) ceased to exist and was replaced by AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo, or the Agency for Integration, Migraion and Asylum). However, this was not just a change in name; it represented a structural transformation of the entire immigration system. And whether you have already been in touch with the new immigration agency or are planning your move to Portugal soon, there are some implications and limitations that can be seen more clearly now after a year of transition.
That’s why I have gathered some basic information on the transition as well as on a super important policy that applies to everyone with expired residence permits, together with some tips to help you navigate any process you need to rely on AIMA for.
Why the change?
When AIMA substituted SEF, the population received the news with mixed feelings, and the real reasons for the change were never clearly explained to the public. Living in Portugal, I saw for myself how SEF had built up a terrible image given a long list of complaints that included excessive bureaucracy and delays as well as several cases of abuse and misconduct towards immigrants and refugees.
So, the way I see it, this was both a much-needed structural change but also a way of “rebranding” the immigration agency. In my opinion, SEF reached its peak of bad reputation after the death of Ihor Humenyuk in 2020, an Ukranian citizen who was tortured and killed upon his arrival in Portugal by three policemen working for the SEF division.
One of the biggest problems with the Portuguese immigration system was that SEF had both administrative and police functions, which has been proven to be a recipe for failure. With the disappearance of SEF, its administrative functions went to AIMA while its police functions such as border control went to the police.
AIMA has no connection whatsoever to the police system in Portugal and that is a relief!
How does AIMA work?
Unfortunately, the change looked good on paper but the investment in AIMA hasn’t been enough. Which means that they don’t have the means to deal with administrative tasks as simple as renewing residence permits, a process which, by law, shouldn’t take longer than 90 days, but in reality, could take years. It is common to walk by their offices and see long lines of people waiting for answers, reporting that they haven’t received any updates on their processes for months and even organising pacifist protests to defend their rights.
Seeing how AIMA has been unable to handle neither the new cases nor the backlog of more than 400,000 cases they inherited from SEF, they decided to extend the validity of all visas and documents related to Portuguese residency until June 2025. This means that if you have a document that allowed you to stay in Portugal but it expired after February 2020, it will be valid until June 2025. These documents include: residence permits, EU citizens registration certificates, EU citizens and family members residence cards as well as short-stay, temporary stay and residence Visas.
Tips to navigate the Portuguese migration system
Although this policy provides a temporary relief to many people, it is impossible to know for sure if by June 2025 all the cases will be regularised. For now, all we can do is wait and hope for the best but to be honest, things are looking quite chaotic. So, what can you do if you need to deal with AIMA in the near future?
• Be early: My first advice would be to take into account the delays and start your processes as early as possible. In other words, do not wait until your residence permit is about to expire to request a new one! That includes asking for an appointment at AIMA on time, but also preparing all the documents you will need way before your appointment.
• Be one step ahead: A lot of data has been reported to be lost with the transition from SEF to AIMA. So, one of the first steps even if you will not need to be in touch with AIMA during the next few months, would be to check that you exist on the AIMA system. This will save you the hassle of realising your data was lost shortly before you need to request something from them. This can be easily done by logging in with your data on www.aima.gov.pt.
• Seek assistance: People who have the means to do it are getting in touch with lawyers. But that is a privilege many immigrants and refugees don’t have. So, if you encounter any problems with delays, excessive bureaucracy or misconduct and can’t afford a lawyer, there are several organisations in Portugal that provide free lawyer consultancy for immigrants and refugees.
Getting in touch with them could be of help if things are not working out with AIMA.
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Read more about Portugal here in Dispatches’ archives.
Mónica da Silva is half-Venezuelan, half Portuguese and has lived in Venezuela, Portugal, Spain and Germany. She has studied linguistics and has a Bachelor’s Degree in European Studies. Besides contributing to Dispatches, she works remotely as an English teacher, which allows her to be on the move as often as she wants.
