New AIMA procedures must be accompanied by “increased human resources” or “delays will persist”

Raquel Brito, senior associate lawyer at Abreu Advogados, comments on the delays in the approval of golden visas by AIMA in the print edition of Diário de Notícias this Monday, 24 February. According to the lawyer, “if the tool is not accompanied by an increase in human resources and the optimisation of internal procedures, the problem of delays will persist.”

At issue are numerous pending applications at the new Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), which replaced the former Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF). Specifically for Abreu Advogados, around 500 applications are still awaiting approval, “including investors and family members, some dating back to 2022,” notes Raquel Brito.

“AIMA has shifted to investors and legal representatives the burden of resubmitting valid documents online in order to proceed with scheduling biometric data collection and, consequently, move the processes forward.” This has helped reduce backlogs but has also placed “an additional burden on investors, who must obtain updated documentation, incurring costs and delays.”

Read the full article and Raquel Brito’s statements here.