Long Nights at AIMA's Doorstep Don't Guarantee Service or Solutions - A Struggle for Immigrants in Portugal

Waqas Ali, a 25-year-old from Pakistan working in agriculture in Odemira, traveled to Lisbon on a Sunday hoping to be served at the AIMA – Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum at the Odivelas Citizen's Shop. He immediately joined the existing queue in an attempt to secure an appointment ticket for the next day. Back in October, he completed the biometric data collection and submitted the necessary documents to obtain his resident card at the AIMA center on Alameda Mahatma Gandhi in Lisbon. He was told he would receive it within 90 working days. Half a year later, he's still waiting.

In Lisbon, appointment tickets run out in just two minutes, leaving many without a chance to be served. Meanwhile, in Porto, while the number of appointments is higher, this doesn't necessarily mean immigrants get the answers they need. The situation highlights the challenges faced by immigrants in Portugal seeking legal residency and the strained resources of AIMA.