“After processing all expressions of interest, approximately 37,000 are nearing completion, and around 32,000 are in the final decision phase at AIMA. This figure represents about 15% of the more than 440,000 pending cases, with the remaining 85% already concluded,” stated the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA).
This clarification from AIMA follows the statement by the agency’s president, Pedro Portugal Gaspar, who had indicated earlier that morning that the agency had already reviewed the 440,000 pending requests concerning expressions of interest that had been awaiting decision for a year, noting that around 130,000 were still pending.
According to the clarification from AIMA, the president meant to specify that 69,000, not 130,000, were still awaiting a decision.
“The challenge regarding the expression of interest issue is fulfilled,” summarized the president of the Board of Directors of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), speaking to journalists during the inauguration of the Local Support Center for Migrant Integration (CLAIM) in Musgueira, Lisbon.
The new immigration rules in Portugal came into effect about a year ago, on June 4, and one of the 41 measures of the Migration Action Plan involved ending expressions of interest, but around 440,000 requests were still pending, prompting the creation of a special mission to resolve these pendings.
According to Pedro Portugal Gaspar, of the pending requests at that time, 170,000 were shelved due to lack of response.
The remainder have been reviewed, with about half processed, most of which were approved, and 4,500 resulted in notifications to leave the country for failing to meet requirements.
Summarizing the first year of the Migration Action Plan, Pedro Portugal Gaspar also highlighted the expansion of the network of local migrant integration support centers and the implementation of the Regulated Labor Migration Pact, while identifying challenges.
“AIMA also faces internal organizational challenges to strengthen its team and improve technological tools for better citizen response. This is a work in progress,” he mentioned.
According to the official, AIMA increased its human resources by about 5% over the last year, a boost considered positive yet still insufficient.
“We aim for an increase of 25% to 30% this year. We will see if we achieve that,” he stated, noting that the expansion of collaborative support networks with other entities also increases response capacity.
The new Local Support Center for Migrant Integration (CLAIM), inaugurated today at the Nasce e Renasce Association premises in Musgueira, Lisbon, will join a network of over 170 centers across the country, providing reception, information, and support for migrant citizens.
