AIMA increased the number of personnel by 17 percent: The real test will be whether it will be reflected in the services

AIMA, the Portuguese Immigration, Integration and Asylum Agency, has increased its staff by 17 percent since the beginning of 2026. The institution aims to provide faster and more efficient service by moving more transactions to the digital environment. However, the real change for foreigners who face long waiting times and problems in the residence process will be measured by how much the increase in personnel will be reflected in daily services.

AIMA, which is at the center of residence and immigration procedures in Portugal, is trying to expand its service capacity by increasing the number of employees.

According to the information provided by AIMA President Pedro Portugal Gaspar, the number of employees of the institution increased from 742 at the beginning of the year to 867. This means an increase of 125 people and approximately 17 percent.

It is planned that 48 more people will start working by the end of the year. Thus, the total number of employees is expected to reach 915.

In its statement published on September 3, AIMA announced that it was strengthening its human resources and accelerating technological transformation.

The institution considers the increase in personnel as part of its goal of improving services, modernizing systems and creating a structure that can respond to citizens more quickly.

AIMA inherits a heavy caseload from SEF

AIMA became operational in October 2023, following the closure of SEF (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras).

The new institution not only had to deal with new immigration and residence applications; it was also faced with hundreds of thousands of pending files left over from the previous system.

In order to reduce this backlog, special task structures were later created and various changes were made in the way session processes were carried out.

According to the information given by AIMA President Gaspar to PÚBLICO Brasil, the institution believes that it has now moved to a stage where it can focus more on service quality, after a period in which the finalization of pending files was predominant.

More transactions are moving online

In addition to personnel increase, another area that AIMA focuses on is digitalization.

The institution is moving various processes to online platforms to reduce the need for foreigners to constantly physically visit AIMA offices for some transactions.

The most important of these is the online portal used to renew residence permits.

According to the source news, starting from July, European Union citizens and their family members can also benefit from the online system for certain permanent residence transactions; Application, payment and document submission can be made digitally. In cases where biometric data needs to be collected, a physical appointment is required.

The portal is also used to renew residence permits that have expired or will expire between certain dates, as well as some residence permits through investment.

Will 125 new employees be enough to solve the problems?

The figures announced for AIMA show that the capacity of the institution has increased. However, what is more important for foreigners living in Portugal is how this increase will be reflected in daily transactions.

How long it takes for a residence card to arrive, how long it takes to access an appointment, how long it takes to resolve a faulty or pending file, and whether the applicant receives a response from the institution are indicators that are felt more directly than the number of personnel.

Here will be the main test for AIMA after digitalization and staff increase: whether the announced capacity increase will actually reduce waiting times and make the procedures faced by immigrants more predictable.

PTNEWSHUB REVIEW

It is really difficult to see an institution that operates as slowly and manages processes as poorly as AIMA. The fact that people's registration procedures are not finalized for months is not just a bureaucratic delay; It is a serious problem that can directly affect their life plans, travel, work and education. Increasing the staff by 17 percent may be positive, but the real success for us is not the increase in numbers, but the establishment of a fast, predictable and decent system in which people are not left in uncertainty for months.

PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE

Personnel change announced by AIMA:

Early 2026: 742 employees

Added staff: 125

Current number: 867

Increase: about 17%

Additional staff planned by the end of the year: 48

Targeted total: 915 employees

These figures show the change in the personnel capacity of the institution. However, this alone does not mean that application or residence card processing times will accelerate by 17 percent.

REVIEWED SOURCES

The Portugal News — Kam Heskin, September 3, 2026: Source news titled “AIMA Boosts Staff by 17%”. The news is based on information sourced from Lusa and AIMA President Pedro Portugal Gaspar's statements to PÚBLICO Brasil.

AIMA — September 3, 2026: Official statement titled “AIMA reforça recursos humanos e hasera transformação tecnológica”. The institution announced that its personnel capacity was increased and technological transformation efforts were accelerated.

PÚBLICO Brasil — Vicente Nunes, September 2, 2026: News about AIMA's goal of increasing the number of employees by 17 percent and moving to a more efficient era in services.