Despite this, the president of the AIMA Board of Directors revealed, on the program “Conversa Capital”, that the granting of residence permits registered a 60% increase this year, with more than 386 thousand permits granted.
The downward trend in the entry of new immigrants into Portugal, which was already recorded in 2024, will continue to be felt in 2025, assured Pedro Portugal Gaspar, president of the AIMA Board of Directors, in an interview with the “Conversa Capital” program on Antena 1 and Jornal de Negócios.
This official added that the downward trend in entries is at the level of 50%, a situation that should continue with the approval of the new law on foreigners, given that the new rules introduced will not trigger measures that promote immigration movements.
The reduction in the number of entries should, however, represent a reduction in AIMA's own revenue, with regard to fees and charges, a situation that should be compensated for by updating the amounts charged.
Regarding the Foreigners Law, the president of AIMA prefers to remain silent, but assures that the institution will adapt to the planned changes, particularly regarding the type of visas.
Even so, Pedro Portugal Gaspar notes a 60% increase in the granting of new residence permits during 2025, compared to the same period in 2024: AIMA granted 386,463 new residence permits during this year.
The president of the AIMA Board of Directors reveals that most of these processes approved this year are still related to situations of people who entered Portugal as part of the expression of interest.