New Hub for Azores Immigrants Opens in Ponta Delgada, Marking a Historic Milestone
📌 Key Highlights & Context
- AIA launches a modern centre in Ponta Delgada after a 20‑year gap.
- Migrants still face territorial discontinuity, needing to travel to the mainland for paperwork.
- A protocol with AIMA and RIAC aims to streamline citizenship processes across all islands.
Opening of the New Centre
Leoter Viegas told journalists that the inauguration represents a "historic milestone" for the Azores immigrant community. The new building, operational after 20 years, will serve the 10,129 residents with social and administrative support.
Challenges Faced by Immigrants
Viegas highlighted that immigrants come to the Azores seeking a better life, yet the lack of local embassies forces them to travel to the mainland for documentation, creating a major hurdle.
Future Plans and Protocol
AIA has signed a protocol with AIMA‑Agência para a Integração Migrações e Asilo and RIAC‑Rede Integrada de Apoio ao Cidadão. The agreement envisions RIAC offices on every island, providing phased assistance for Portuguese nationality applications.
- Expansion of RIAC services island‑by‑island
- Localisation of document and identity procedures
- Support for economic integration of migrants
According to AIMA data, the foreign population in the Azores has doubled in the last three years, now reaching 10,129 people from 100 different nationalities.
Sources
Associação de Imigrantes dos Açores tem nova sede em Ponta Delgada