AIMA Delays: Where Things Stand in 2026

Portugal's Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA, which replaced SEF in October 2023) is still working through a large backlog of immigration applications — but the picture in 2026 is more mixed than a simple "getting worse" or "getting better" story. Processing volumes have gone up sharply, complaints have gone up too, and new costs and requirements have been layered onto the system this year. Here's an honest, up-to-date breakdown.

The backlog by the numbers

AIMA inherited an estimated 350,000–450,000 pending cases from SEF when it took over in 2023.
The agency has made real progress on volume: it issued roughly 386,000 residency permits in 2025, about 60% more than in 2024.
As of July 2026, AIMA reported around 30,000 cases remaining from the original inherited backlog — these are described as the more complex files still under analysis.
Independent reporting paints a less rosy picture for the system as a whole: around 130,000 residency and renewal files were still stuck at AIMA as of mid-2026, once newer applications and renewals are counted alongside the legacy backlog. Official "cases decided" totals also include rejections and withdrawals, not just approvals, which can make top-line progress figures look better than what applicants are actually experiencing.

Service quality hasn't kept pace with volume

Even as processing numbers have climbed, satisfaction has fallen. Complaints logged through the national portal rose sharply in early 2026 — roughly 37% higher in Q1 2026 than the prior period — with administrative and procedural errors (validation mistakes, data mismatches, and similar processing faults) making up the largest single category of grievances. In short: more cases are moving, but a growing share of applicants are hitting friction along the way.

New this year: fees and data-correction requirements

Two 2026 developments are catching applicants off guard:

A fee increase of 25% took effect on 1 March 2026, applying across the board — initial applications, renewals, family sponsorships, and long-term resident status. For a family handling multiple procedures at once, combined costs can now run close to €900.
A mandatory data-correction step introduced in early 2026 requires applicants to confirm their address and Social Security number through AIMA's online portal. AIMA has promised turnaround within two business days, but platform issues and validation errors have left some cases unresolved for six weeks or more — effectively creating a new bottleneck on top of the existing backlog.

The SEF-to-AIMA transition, revisited

The restructuring from SEF to AIMA is still a factor, but it's worth noting the backlog didn't start with the transition — pandemic-era processing delays at SEF were already substantial before AIMA existed, and the institutional handover compounded an existing problem rather than creating one from scratch. AIMA has responded with a dedicated Temporary Mission Structure (launched July 2024) aimed specifically at clearing inherited cases, along with continued hiring — staffing now exceeds 770 employees — and expanded digital scheduling tools.

Positive developments worth flagging

Not everything is moving in the wrong direction:

A July 2026 cooperation agreement between AIMA and the Faculty of Law at the University of Lisbon aims to process international student residence permits within 30 days — a significant improvement for that group if it holds up in practice.
A legal change now counts residency time from the application date rather than the date the card is actually issued, which reduces some of the practical harm of long processing waits for people already in the system.
Online renewals have been enabled for permits expiring in January and February 2026 through AIMA's portal, though applicants are advised to complete the address/Social Security verification step first to avoid delays.

What applicants can do

Get the data-correction step done early. Since this has become a common new bottleneck, confirming your address and Social Security details through AIMA's portal before submitting anything else can save weeks.
Know the escalation path. If a case is stuck well beyond AIMA's legal processing windows, options — roughly in order of how commonly they're used — include portal messages, a formal complaint via the Ouvidoria, escalation to the Provedor de Justiça (Ombudsman), ministerial referral, and, as a last resort, legal action through the courts. Several applicants have successfully used court intervention to force appointments in 2026.
Watch for name and document inconsistencies. AIMA flagged in July 2026 that mismatches between names on different documents are a growing cause of rejections and delays — worth double-checking before you submit.
Budget for the new fees. With the March 2026 increase, it's worth checking AIMA's current fee schedule before applying, especially if you're handling more than one family member's paperwork at once.

Conclusion

AIMA's backlog is smaller than it was, but the experience of dealing with the agency in 2026 is not simply "better." Processing volumes are up, some categories (like international students) are seeing real improvements, and legal changes have softened some of the practical impact of delays — but new fees, a fresh data-verification bottleneck, and rising complaint rates mean many applicants are still facing real uncertainty. The most reliable approach is to keep your application airtight, complete any new verification steps immediately, and know your escalation options if a case stalls well past its legal deadline.

For the most current information, check AIMA's official website, and consult a Portuguese immigration lawyer for anything time-sensitive or already delayed beyond legal limits.

The official website for the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) is: https://www.aima.gov.pt/