The president of the board of the Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum (AIMA), Pedro Portugal Gaspar, provided these figures during an interview with the Conversa Capital program, aired by Antena 1 and Jornal de Negócios on Saturday evening.
“As of October 22, we have effectively issued 386,463 residence cards, new authorizations throughout 2025, already with the final card title, as this is the final element. […] In the same period in 2024, we had 236,030, so we have an increase of 60%, 61%, approximately,” he stated.
The official explained that most of these processes relate to individuals who entered Portugal under the mechanism of expression of interest, which allowed foreigners in the country to request a residence permit, particularly if they already had a work contract and social security contributions, officially discontinued in June 2024.
However, Pedro Portugal Gaspar estimated that, similar to 2024, this year will continue the trend of about 50% decrease in entries, expected to persist with the new Foreigners Law.
The new regime, promulgated by the President of the Republic on October 16, includes measures such as limiting job-seeking visas to “qualified work.”
A reduction in the number of entries will also mean a reduction in AIMA’s own revenues, derived from fees and charges, which will need to be compensated. The official did not mention increases, admitting only possible updates on the amounts charged.
The AIMA president refrained from commenting specifically on the new law but assured that the institution will adapt to the expected changes, particularly regarding the types of visas.
Regarding the renewal of residence permits, Pedro Portugal Gaspar highlighted that the launch of the Renewal Portal has prevented 32 to 33 thousand people from needing to visit AIMA offices.
When asked about unanswered phone contacts, the official mentioned that 20% of calls were not answered, out of approximately 300 thousand calls in the first months of 2025.
On the legal proceedings filed in the Administrative and Tax Court due to AIMA’s lack of scheduling, the president emphasized that the institution has never been condemned, as it has always responded positively to actions.
To manage the demand for services, Pedro Portugal Gaspar advocated for an increase in staff, currently composed of over 770 workers, following a 10% increase last year which, he stated, will continue.
