Portugal’s Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) is taking significant steps to address delays in immigration processing, specifically focusing on the Golden Visa Program and residency applications. The agency recently introduced various measures aimed at streamlining procedures and improving efficiency. Let’s learn more about the key changes, its impact on applicants, and the broader efforts of the Portuguese government to modernize its immigration system.
Key Revisions to the Golden Visa Process
Portugal’s Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) has rolled out fresh measures to tackle the delays affecting Golden Visa applications.
AIMA has reached out to applicants and informed them of upcoming procedural enhancements designed to expedite processing times.
As part of this overhaul, the system now follows a chronological and digital approach, prioritizing older applications. The submission process is entirely electronic, ensuring greater efficiency.
- All required documents must be uploaded digitally via the ARI portal.
- Starting January 15, 2025, biometric appointments will be automatically scheduled, aligning with application progression.
- Residency permit fees will now be collected during biometric appointments. The fees stand at €6,045.20 for applications with certified documents and €8,060.20 for those without certification. Payments must be completed via card.
Applicants who have been inactive for a period of six months with Golden Visa cases pending in the system risk having their applications classified as abandoned. If this happens, they would need to reapply under the updated rules.
A New Online Portal to Help Regularize Immigrants
AIMA has launched an online portal to help with the regularization of immigrants in Portugal. According to the new rules, immigrants with employment contracts who contributed to Social Security before June 4, 2024 will now be able to regularize their status in the country.
In 2024, Portugal terminated what was known as the “expression of interest” option, which had allowed non-Portuguese individuals to legally reside in the country and apply for a job seeker visa. This previously allowed applicants to stay in Portugal looking for a job and then become eligible for a residence visa. When the expression of interest option ended, foreigners in Portugal had until June 3, 2024 to get a job offer or employment contract under Decree-Law No.37-A/2024. Immigrants who submitted an official Expression of Interest by the June deadline should receive an email asking them to change their password on the new platform.
Additional Changes for Residents
Portugal has now eased residency permit requirements, now requiring just one month of Social Security contributions instead of 12. It also announced that immigrants who initially had residence permit applications rejected will now be given a second chance, a move that is expected to affect 108,000 immigrants whose applications were rejected by AIMA after they failed to pay the fees.
Missed Appointments Impacting Processing Efficiency
Despite the increased efficiency of the new measures, a significant issue remains: approximately 15% of AIMA’s 6,000 daily scheduled appointments are missed by applicants. This absentee rate hinders the system’s ability to process applications effectively.
With these initiatives, AIMA is striving to enhance the efficiency and accessibility of Portugal’s immigration system and ensure smoother processing for both new and existing applicants. It has set a target of processing all pending applications by June 30, 2025.
