Portugal’s Immigration and Border Service (SEF) makes way to New AIMA Agency, as a part of Immigration and Border Service Overhaul, as per the latest announcement by Portuguese government.
All administrative affairs from police issues, will be left to the new agency Portugal Integration, Migration and Asylum Agency (AIMA). Under the new transitioning policy, Portugal Integration, Migration and Asylum Agency will be operational on Sunday 29 October.
The Government approved the creation of the Integration, Migration and Asylum Agency (AIMA) as a part of the restructionary measures. The AIMA will replace the Immigration and Border Service (SEF). The transition to the new agency is expected to be completed in the next six months.
The AIMA is beginning its operations with a total sum of 347,000 cases pending. One of the Agency’s top priorities is to substantially decrease this number, focusing especially on cases relating to family unification. All Golden visa applications will be automatically shifted and processed by new agency.
A mega operation to recover pending cases will be launched in the first quarter of next year
Portugal Government
AIMA is charged with controlling the entry and stay of foreign citizens on Portuguese soil, grant stay extensions, residence permits, renew residence permits, residence cards, and permanent residence cards for relatives of EU citizens who are nationals of a third country, permanent residence certificate for EU citizens, and residence permits for British citizens under Brexit.
The IRN services will now also include attending to foreign citizens to renew their Residence Permit (temporary and permanent). The requests to renew temporary and permanent residence permits (RAR) can be made at the IRN desks (except for specific cases of renewal for victims of human trafficking and for investment, which are handled by the AIMA). In this first stage, the attendance will be exclusively through prior appointment scheduling. The RAR online scheduling is available via the SIG appointment website on siga.marcacaodeatendimento.pt and the mobile app sigaApp.
The Registries and Notaries Institute (IRN) is also the body charged with granting and issuing the passports for foreign citizens, combining all the scales of the Portuguese Electronic Passport: standard, special, temporary passports, and passports for foreign citizens.
The AIMA will begin operations with 34 assistance counters throughout the country and will open at least 10 new ones within one year. The agency will be headquartered in Lisbon, on Avenida António Augusto de Aguiar.
