On 9 January, during a meeting of the Council of Ministers, the Portuguese government announced that it will release €5.97 million for the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) to speed up processing of residence applications.

The urgency around the regularisation of immigrants in Portugal comes from a request made by business owners highlighting the shortage of labour across several sectors. Without official residence documents, foreign workers are forced to accept precarious employment and living conditions. 

The funding will be allocated to ensuring and strengthening continuation of the activities of a task force created in September 2024, in order to process the more than 400 000 pending residence permit applications submitted by foreign citizens. Today, AIMA has 20 service centres operating as part of the task force. Of the funds released to the agency, municipalities will receive €1.63 million to open service centres in their areas, while civil society organisations, which will include sociocultural mediators, will receive up to €4.34 million.

It is anticipated that the new funding will not only speed up pending processes at AIMA, but also improve the quality of services offered to immigrants, thereby promoting greater integration and security.