The Complaint Portal has identified a worsening of citizen dissatisfaction with AIMA. The number of complaints continues to increase—already around 2,000 this year. The data points to the persistence of a system under pressure, with structural flaws that affect the lives of thousands of users who depend on the agency for immigration, residency, and visa processes. Family separations, work difficulties, and international immobility are some of the reported consequences.

The analysis of AIMA (Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum) – based on data from the Complaint Portal between January and November 2025 – highlights the persistence of operational failures, prolonged delays, and critical difficulties in the agency's service.

Between January 1 and November 19, 2025, 1847 complaints were registered against the Agency, compared to 1735 registered in the same period of 2024, representing an increase of 6.46%. The quarterly evolution shows a growing trend of pressure on services: +17.97% in the 2nd quarter of 2025; +45.41% in the 3rd quarter of 2025 and +46.61% in September 2025 compared to the same month of 2024.

The months of April, May, June, July, and September 2025 were especially critical, all with significant increases in the volume of complaints compared to 2024.

Main reasons for complaints

The analysis of the reasons presented by citizens confirms the persistence of structural problems: Administrative and Technical Problems (41.53%), which include errors in processes, failures in computer systems, problems with websites and documentation.

This is the most critical and comprehensive category, directly affecting the regularization and legal status of thousands of citizens.

This is followed by Customer Service and Communication Problems (22.14%). These are cases that reveal the difficulty in obtaining information, insufficient or non-existent responses, and failures in customer support.

Delays and Schedule Failures (19.06%) relate to prolonged waiting times for appointments, failure to meet deadlines, lack of dates for collecting biometric data or issuing documents.

The remaining reasons for complaint include financial problems (6.33%), service quality (6.06%) and legal and security issues (4.87%).

Who complains?

The profile of users who complain reveals a clear concentration in the main urban centers, with Lisbon accounting for 34.92% of occurrences, followed by Porto (17.38%) and Setúbal (10.40%); Faro (6.77%) and Braga (5.96%) complete the group of the most represented areas. In terms of age, most complainants are of working age, with the 25-34 age group (41.96%) and the 35-44 age group (31.84%) standing out. Regarding gender, there is a predominance of male citizens (55.77%), compared to 44.23% of the female gender.

The reports registered on the Complaint Portal show severe consequences: family separations, work difficulties and the impossibility of international mobility.

“I have been trying to bring my elderly parents to Portugal for two years, but I can't get an appointment at AIMA. [...] We are crying every day.”, complained Arvind Singh.

Beatriz Garcia reported having visas pending for more than 9 months: “The legal deadline is 60 days, but more than nine months have passed without a response, despite our attempts to contact them.”

Zixuan Guo denounced the impossibility of traveling due to the lack of biometric registration: “This is causing great inconvenience; I cannot leave Portugal to visit my parents.”

These cases reveal a pattern of disruption in the personal, academic, and professional lives of users who depend on AIMA's services, according to the complaints portal.

Growing negative perception

Analysis of complaints indicates a worsening trend in citizens' experience with AIMA, marked by feelings of frustration, insecurity, and loss of confidence in administrative processes.

Currently, the agency has a Satisfaction Index rated as "Weak," with 18/100. Response and Resolution Rates are both around 13%.

"The annual evolution of complaints against AIMA reflects not only an increase in the volume of requests but also a persistent inability of the system to respond efficiently, transparently, and within acceptable timeframes. The available data points to a system under pressure, with structural failures and process management issues affecting thousands of users who depend on AIMA for immigration, residency, visa, and family reunification processes," analyzes Pedro Lourenço, Founder of the Portal da Queixa by Consumers Trust.