The president of the AIMA board, Pedro Gaspar Portugal, provided this information today during the opening of the new CLAIM center in Fundão, the fifth in the country equipped to collect personal data and utilize technology for recording biometric data and advancing document processing.
“We estimate that in the second half of the year we will have around ten of these centers to enhance capacity,” stated Pedro Gaspar Portugal in a statement.
There are approximately 170 CLAIM spaces in the country, aimed at advisory and referral services, with about 90 operating in partnership with local governments.
“These ten new CLAIM centers will emerge from those 90,” detailed the AIMA head.
Since 2006, Fundão, in the district of Castelo Branco, has had a CLAIM space, which Pedro Gaspar Portugal noted has now received an upgrade, achieving a “qualitative leap” that extends its scope of action.
“We are in the field to provide solutions. This will enhance responsiveness, streamline document processing, and primarily benefit the migrant population in the area, though not exclusively, as it can integrate into a national compensation network,” explained Pedro Gaspar Portugal.
According to the AIMA president, these new spaces, within the context of the Migration Action Plan, allow for the first contact with migrants in a documentary context, which then facilitates their integration process.
Pedro Gaspar Portugal highlighted that AIMA’s mission includes the regularization of documentation and clearing the backlog of pending processes. However, he noted that this is a transitional phase, aiming to bolster public policy on the challenge and opportunity of integrating the migrant and resident populations within a framework of building a multicultural society during current times.
Last year, AIMA had 220,000 scheduled appointments, and the official emphasized that 35,000 people did not attend.
The mayor of Fundão, Paulo Fernandes, expressed the municipality’s willingness to “go further in shared services” and praised the greater reach of AIMA’s network to “be the best possible” and to facilitate the “process of inclusion and integration.”
The mayor noted that Fundão has had for several years “an ecosystem in response to the challenge, opportunity, and problems” posed by migration, highlighting the significance of this population in addressing demographic challenges and labor shortages.
According to Paulo Fernandes, the response provided to migrants is “a national priority” and is considered “one of the most important for our development in the coming years.”
The mayor also mentioned the experience with a “very diverse socioprofessional” range of immigrant profiles in the municipality.
When questioned about the creation of the National Unit of Foreigners and Borders (UNEF) within the PSP, Pedro Gaspar Portugal commented that it would be an entity with which AIMA would work “in close coordination.”
“It does not conflict with AIMA. I would say it complements, and it gives us a more well-defined framework,” he added.
