Portugal's Asylum Backlog Doubles to Nearly 9,000 Cases as AIMA Transition Stalls Processing

Portugal's asylum system is groaning under mounting pressure, with pending applications nearly doubling to approximately 8,800 cases—a backlog officials attribute to the chaotic two-year transition from the dissolved border service SEF to the new Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), which has struggled to absorb case files, staff, and institutional knowledge.

The backlog represents a sharp reversal for a country that historically processed asylum claims quickly by European standards. Portugal received relatively modest flows compared to frontline states like Greece or Italy, allowing faster adjudication. But that advantage has evaporated as AIMA wrestles with legacy systems, understaffing, and surging demand tied to global displacement and Portugal's rising profile as a migration destination.

From SEF to AIMA: A Troubled Handover

The government abolished SEF (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras) in late 2023 following a string of scandals, including the 2020 death of Ukrainian citizen Ihor Homeniuk in SEF detention at Lisbon airport. Lawmakers voted to split SEF's functions across multiple agencies: border control went to the Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP) and Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR), while migration management and asylum were assigned to the newly created AIMA.

The transition, intended to separate policing from integration services, has instead created administrative limbo. AIMA inherited tens of thousands of open residence and asylum files but faced delays in accessing SEF's legacy IT systems, physical archives, and personnel. Former SEF staff were reassigned piecemeal, and many case files languished in legal and bureaucratic grey zones.

"The system didn't just slow down—it partially stopped," one Lisbon-based immigration lawyer told Público, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We have clients whose asylum interviews were scheduled under SEF, then postponed indefinitely when AIMA took over. No one can tell them when they'll get a decision."

The Numbers

Data compiled by AIMA and reported in Portuguese media this week show:

• Pending cases: Approximately 8,800 asylum applications awaiting first-instance decisions as of March 2026, up from roughly 4,400 in early 2024
• Rejections: Portugal refused more than 1,000 asylum claims in 2025, a higher absolute number than in prior years, though rejection rates remain below the EU average
• Processing times: Average time from application to decision has stretched beyond 12 months for many applicants, compared to 6–9 months under SEF before 2023

Asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Syria, and several African nations make up the bulk of applicants, mirroring broader European patterns. But Portugal also sees claims from Brazilians, Venezuelans, and other nationals fleeing political instability or violence in Latin America—a demographic profile shaped by linguistic and cultural ties.

Why the Backlog Matters

Delayed asylum processing has cascading effects:

Legal limbo: Applicants typically receive temporary documentation allowing them to stay and work while awaiting decisions, but uncertainty about final status complicates housing rental, bank account access, and long-term planning. Landlords often refuse tenants without permanent residence permits.

Integration strain: Prolonged waits hinder language learning, skills training, and labour market entry. Asylum seekers risk becoming stuck in low-wage informal work, undercutting Portugal's stated goal of integrating newcomers into the formal economy.

Humanitarian risk: Some applicants, frustrated by delays, attempt onward migration to other EU states or fall into exploitative employment arrangements. NGOs report rising vulnerability among asylum seekers in Lisbon and Porto waiting years for decisions.

Political pressure: Right-wing parties, particularly Chega, have weaponised migration delays to argue the system is "out of control." André Ventura repeatedly frames AIMA's struggles as evidence Portugal cannot manage migration flows, a narrative that gained traction in the February presidential election despite Socialist António José Seguro's landslide victory.

AIMA's Defence

AIMA officials acknowledge the backlog but insist the agency is making progress. In a statement to SIC Notícias, an AIMA spokesperson said the organisation has hired additional case officers, streamlined interview scheduling, and begun digitising legacy paper files inherited from SEF.

"We are dealing with a system that was broken before we took it over," the spokesperson said. "The pendency increase reflects historical failures, not current performance. We are committed to reducing wait times throughout 2026."

The agency announced in early March it will launch a unified online portal for asylum and residence applications later this year, funded by a €208,000 contract, in an effort to centralise case management and improve transparency.

European Context

Portugal's asylum challenges are modest compared to countries bearing the brunt of irregular arrivals. Greece processes over 50,000 applications annually; Italy and Spain handle even larger volumes. But Portugal's backlog is growing faster than many peers, driven not by surging arrivals but by administrative dysfunction.

EU asylum rules require member states to process claims within six months under normal circumstances, with a possible six-month extension. Portugal is routinely breaching these timelines, though it is far from alone—Germany, Belgium, and France also face chronic delays.

What Expats Should Know

The asylum backlog is separate from residence permit processing for non-asylum migrants (work visas, family reunification, golden visas, etc.), but AIMA's resource constraints affect all application types. Expats navigating AIMA appointments or renewals should expect longer waits and limited customer service capacity.

If you're sponsoring a family member or hiring foreign workers, build extra time into planning. AIMA's struggles are unlikely to resolve quickly.

For asylum seekers themselves, the message is sobering: Portugal remains a welcoming destination in principle, but the bureaucratic machinery is badly strained. Legal aid organisations like the Portuguese Refugee Council (CPR) and Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) provide crucial support navigating the system—resources worth tapping early in the process. (Background: see our piece on the MAI suspension of the 11 Beja police officers in Operação Safra Justa.)

Related: Portugal Doubles Down on Tourism Training for Migrants | Portugal's Official Rental Market Data Remains Dark On the listed-construction tape, our preview of Mota-Engil's Q1 2026 earnings (Wednesday 13 May, market close) sets the latest reference. On the immigration-policy track, our read on the 7 May migration bills transposing the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum and the external-borders control framework sets the latest reference. For foreign residents bringing family to Portugal, our 2026 guide to family reunification (reagrupamento familiar) in Portugal — the AIMA process, the Lei 23/2007 spouse, children and parent tracks, and the documentary chain to the cartão de residência sets the latest reference. On the driving-licence side, our 2026 guide to exchanging a foreign driving licence in Portugal (the IMT process, the EU vs Vienna-Convention vs third-country tracks, the 90-day window and the two-year practical-exam exemption) sets the latest reference. On the EU-citizen residence-registration side, our practical guide to registering as an EU citizen resident in Portugal (CRUE) under Lei n.º 37/2006 — the three-month threshold, the Câmara Municipal procedure, the documents the Council asks for, the €7-€15 fee, and the five-year permanent-residence step sets the latest reference. For the documentary side of property, marriage and POA acts, our 2026 field guide to Portuguese notaries — when you actually need a notário, the Documento Particular Autenticado alternative under Decreto-Lei 116/2008, the Casa Pronta scheme, the procuração and apostila chain, and what the cartório will check on the signing day sets the latest reference. For foreign-resident document recognition across borders, our 2026 Apostille and Consular Legalisation guide — the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, the Decreto-Lei 86/2009 implementing statute, the PGR-run service across Lisboa, Porto, Coimbra, Évora, Guimarães, Funchal and Ponta Delgada, the €10.20-per-act tariff and the non-Hague consular chain through MNE and destination embassies sets the latest reference. For foreign-resident document recognition inside Portugal, our 2026 Certified Translations guide — the no-sworn-translator model, the six authentication routes through advogado, solicitador, notário, conservatória, câmara de comércio and consulate, per-page rates from €15 to €90 and the EU Regulation 2016/1191 multilingual-form exemption sets the latest reference. On the legal-paperwork architecture, our 2026 Solicitadores guide — the Câmara dos Solicitadores e dos Agentes de Execução, the Estatuto under Lei n.º 154/2015, the Documento Particular Autenticado (DPA) route under DL 116/2008 and DL 76-A/2006 at €10-€20 per act, where the solicitador beats the cartório tariff on property transactions and AIMA stacks, and the agente-de-execução side that handles civil-court enforcement sets the latest reference. For where to actually walk in and get the procedure done, our 2026 Loja do Cidadão and Espaço Cidadão guide — the 72-site Loja network with embedded AT, Segurança Social, IRN, AIMA and IMT counters, the 900-plus Espaço single-counter outposts staffed by AMA mediadores, the Marcação Atendimento booking portal at gov.pt with the 300 003 990 Linha Cidadão fallback, the Mapa Cidadão tool at mapa.digital.gov.pt and the 18 new openings due by June 2026 sets the latest reference. On the property-transaction and registry-counter architecture, our 2026 Casa Pronta guide — the property-transaction one-stop counter inside the conservatórias do registo predial, the €375 single-act and €700 multi-act tariff sheet, the SIGA portal booking architecture, the documentary stack for foreign-resident buyers, and the mortgage-bundled compra-e-venda route that replaces the notarial escritura sets the latest reference. On the AIMA-litigation throughput side, our 23 May read on the AIMA deportation-challenge curve at the Tribunal Administrativo de Círculo de Lisboa — the TAC Lisboa booking 496 new impugnação and providência cautelar filings in April 2026 against AIMA's expulsion, voluntary-departure and residence-denial orders, up roughly 45x from the 11 cases of January 2025, with 2,271 cases pending and 128,851 residence-and-reunification cases in the broader pool sets the latest reference.