There is another thread (AIMA Appointments) where someone had the same problem and managed to get his lawyer to solve it.
Hi. I need similar documents for my son who is studying in the US at the moment but we are living in a different country.
Are you sure the document from the university has to be notarized and apostilled too? And does it have to be translated as well? My country doesn’t issue any document to show proof of single status.
This just gets more difficult every time.
AIMA accepts documents in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish.
Dear All,
Request for your feedback on my situation ,
i have received appointment email for 15th May on 22 Apr, just 3 weeks before, luckily i have visa ready and can travel and attend appointment , by any chance my family also attend the same appointment ? as they are already living in the country from last year ?
The general information by AIMA was that the entire family, primary applicant and dependants would be given the same appointment. I have no information how this applies to your specific situation, insofar as your family is already living in PT.
What is surprising, and somewhat worrying is that you have received an appointment with only 3 weeks notice.
For someone without a Schengen visa, this would be a difficult / impossible timeline to meet.
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Hello, could you please let us know your timeline? When did you apply? Did you file a lawsuit? When did you submit updated documents? Thanks
Initial application submitted- Aug 2023
Submitted law suit- July 2024 with no update
Family moved to Portugal- sep 2024
Appointment received- 22 Apr 2025 for 15 May 2025
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I found this document from AIMA that states that the goal for 2025 is to reduce delayed ARI processes by just 30%
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if any of you have see the wire, I guarantee you they juke the stats with this, maybe by using an average and processing new applications quickly, thereby reducing the average by 30% but leaving earlier applicants in the lurch still
Would be better to reassign the people working on this analysis to answering phones and attending appointments.
AIMA has a total workforce of 976 employees, and there are currently more than 1.5 million immigrants in Portugal.
There was a widely announced surge in staffing to conclude all processes prior to June 30 2025. Are the numbers reflecting the surge?
Apparently yes, this number of 976 already includes the new employees announced.
In the news below from 19/02/2025, Aima reported having 674 employees at the time.
Interesting find @InvestVG-PT. It is digitally signed on 25th March by ‘Rui Armindo Freitas’ (i.e. Deputy Secretary of State for the Presidency, and head of the ‘Migration Action Plan’), so does that make it ‘official?’
Target of a 30% reduction in pending ARI applications in 2025? So when the GV hucksters tell us AIMA has a ‘Mission Structure’ plan to clear the ARI backlog this year, well not even AIMA believes that… not even half of that!
Couple other targets in this document of interest to NG’ers…
30% reduction in the average time taken to issue Residence Permit Renewals
60% completion rate of court cases
- Deepl translates the goal as “Improve the procedures inherent in the processing of legal cases, with a significant rate of conclusion due to supervening uselessness of the case”
- …which ChatGPT tells me means “the case is no longer meaningful, necessary, or capable of providing any effective legal relief. Essentially, it means the case has become moot due to a change in circumstances.” - so, like, throw a Biometrics appointment at you but perhaps nothing further (their strategy used last year)?
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Yes, it is official. Follows the AIMA’s 2025 activity plan which confirms the information.
plano-de-atividades-2025.pdf (1.4 MB)
Page 36
Guess how much of the 30% will come from the “June 30th purge” (I.e. folks who fail to upload refreshed documents by this date)?
Moreover, after getting purged, the same people will have no choice but to file lawsuits. Then they get thrown a biometrics appointment, and count towards the “60% completion rate of court cases” as well!
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For anyone who has completed their in-person residency card renewal appointment, are the agents document takers or decision makers? In other words, when you leave the appointment, do they tell you the renewal has been approved based on the documents you submitted? Or do they just take the documents and thank you and send you on your way, to await a response at some undetermined point in the future?
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My spouse had a renewal appointment in Lisboa in early March. Apparently the procedures had just changed, and the agent was not able to approve the renewal. Documents were reviewed, inventoried and retained by AIMA, and a written receipt was provided. Still waiting on the approval. The renewal application fee was collected on the spot, but we are still awaiting the DUC for the actual renewal fee.
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