News Article by Miriam Sequeira - Lawyer, International Atlantic Services

AIMA has faced substantial legal pressure to address the significant backlog in immigration case processing. The Portuguese judicial system has imposed over 17,000 scheduled appointments on AIMA, following legal actions initiated by migration specialists that highlighted severe delays in processing applications and scheduling meetings for immigrants seeking regularization.

Recognizing the scale of the issue, AIMA has acknowledged the administrative challenges posed by the rapid increase in immigration. In response, AIMA has implemented a task force aimed at managing the backlog, expanding its operational capacity to handle up to 2,000 cases per day, a significant increase from the previous 1,000 daily appointments.

This task force is part of a broader effort to resolve approximately 400,000 pending immigration cases. The court rulings, which mandate the scheduling of appointments, are primarily procedural and do not determine the outcome of the individual regularization cases. Nonetheless, AIMA is working diligently to reduce the backlog, ensuring that these long-delayed cases are addressed as quickly as possible within the existing legal framework.

These developments reflect Portugal's efforts to improve its immigration system, making it more responsive and compassionate while facilitating family reunification and regularization processes.

As AIMA ramps up its capacity to address the backlog, IAS remains fully prepared to assist immigrants in navigating the complexities of the system, using our legal expertise to ensure that our clients’ rights are upheld. Our commitment to excellence ensures that we will continue to advocate for our clients and achieve favorable outcomes, even in a challenging administrative environment.