Portugal News

The Lisbon Administrative Court ended 2024 with 46,824 pending immigration and asylum cases, 80 times more than in 2023. The increase is due to the extinction of SEF and the creation of AIMA.

The Lisbon District Administrative Court closed 2024 with 46,824 pending immigration and asylum cases, a number 80 times higher than in 2023 and which runs counter to the general trend of decreasing pending cases in the territorial area it covers.

The call has not yet started. The project has not even been approved by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

Misinformation is circulating on Instagram that immigrants with a title from the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) have started to be called by the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA). One of the posts with the fake news has reached thousands of people.

The “Training and Integration Programme for Migrants and Beneficiaries of International Protection in the Tourism Sector ” saw strong participation, with 5,378 applications and 1,299 places made available by 329 companies. Initially planned for a thousand participants, the programme was expanded to accommodate all registered interns, as part of the government’s “Accelerating the Economy” programme.

A very important program launched by Portugal helps migrants to obtain job and training opportunities

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 .