A familiar story: you write to AIMA and get silence in return; you call and no one picks up. The agency has found a solution and is now advising people on social media to go to CLAIM, local migrant support centres (Centros Locais de Apoio à Integração de Migrantes). There, it says, you can get information about your residence permit application and answers to questions about regularising your status. There are centres across the country, including Madeira and the Azores. Público sees this as an attempt by the agency to repair its reputation.
CLAIM centres are free advice services run by municipalities, NGOs and universities under agreements with AIMA. In 2023, there were 156 of them; there are more now. In addition to residence permits, they provide advice on citizenship, family reunification, employment and business, housing, healthcare and social support, education, and voluntary return to the country of origin.
Don’t expect miracles: CLAIM does not make decisions on applications or issue residence cards. They can explain things, point you in the right direction and help you draft a request — and that’s about it. Many centres operate by appointment, so it’s best to call first.
STM, the union representing migration specialists, is not impressed. AIMA is short-staffed, it says, and the agency is shifting its own workload onto CLAIM. The union “recognises the value of CLAIM, but rejects the idea that they can be presented as a structural solution”. Meanwhile, AIMA chief Pedro Portugal Gaspar reports that the number of complaints has halved compared with 2024, with more than 600,000 appointments held and 500,000 cards issued over the past year. STM has its own explanation: it has now become impossible to get through to the agency even to file a complaint.
And yes, since July, you can check the status of your application online, using the contact form on the AIMA website. Although, for now, the system is still being tested.
