AIMA is prioritizing family reunification involving minors

Agency states that requests can be made directly on the specific platform and that minors under 18 must be on Portuguese soil. Scheduling will be done automatically.

Family reunification for immigrants involving minors has become a priority for the Portuguese government. According to the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA), in a statement to PÚBLICO Brasil, the request for the family reunification process, including children and young people up to 18 years old, must be made through a dedicated digital platform. It is mandatory that minors are proven to be on Portuguese territory at the time the request was or is submitted.

This measure is in line with the objectives set in the Migration Action Plan, approved by the Council of Ministers of Portugal last June. AIMA clarifies that it is not necessary to make a phone call for scheduling, as the entire process is automatic and will follow a chronological order based on the registration made on the platform. To ensure faster processing and decision-making, it is essential that all information and documents are correctly updated on the platform to facilitate the proper instruction of the process.

Fábio Knauer, from the Portuguese Alliance, states that modernizing technological systems and efficiently using digital platforms is crucial to unlocking the nearly 400,000 pending immigrant processes at AIMA. He emphasizes that the Portuguese government’s investment in technology, outsourcing services, and issuing family reunification visas from the immigrants' country of origin are essential measures to resolve this issue.

Knauer believes that for Brazilians, who have been favored as preferential immigrants by the Portuguese government, family residence permits should be granted while they are still in Brazil. He argues that this would prevent family members from entering the long current queue. "With the wave of people seeking visas, the requests for family members could already be resolved while in Brazil, avoiding this backlog of processes," he suggests.

Regarding scheduling, Knauer explains that those who emigrate to Portugal in search of employment have around four months to find a job. Once the requirements are met and a job is secured, they can apply for a residence permit. However, it is at this stage that problems arise, as many immigrants, despite having jobs, cannot bring their families.

Appointments for these processes are only made by scheduling, which Knauer believes could be more flexible to reduce queues. He argues that, in many cases, AIMA staff are available for appointments, and one alternative would be to outsource the analysis and bureaucracy of the process, leaving the final decision with government staff. He emphasizes that granting a residence permit is a very serious decision and should be handled by an internal official.

Another critical point raised by Knauer is the lack of advanced technological services. He mentions that the Institute of Registries and Notaries (IRN) launched a new platform to track citizenship requests, but the system has flaws, such as changes in the display of processes that confuse applicants. He believes the previous system had many redundancies but was clearer.

Knauer also criticizes the concentration of family reunification processes in major urban centers like Lisbon and Porto, suggesting a more equitable distribution throughout the country, which would help relieve the pressure on these hubs. He proposes that the Lojas do Cidadão, located across the country, could include AIMA posts to assist in this service. Furthermore, he warns of the emotional impact that the long wait can have on immigrants, who often find themselves separated from their families for much longer than planned, leading to issues like loneliness and depression.

The delay in processing immigration cases in Portugal also has an economic impact, according to Knauer. He argues that many immigrants have the potential to contribute to the economy, creating jobs and boosting the market, but are prevented from doing so due to a lack of documents. He emphasizes that immigrants have lives that cannot be left on hold for one or two years, and this represents a loss for the Portuguese economy, which could benefit from their active participation.

In Knauer's office alone, more than 250 people in Portugal are waiting for residence permits, 120 are in AIMA's queue for family reunification, and more than 400 are in Brazil waiting to apply for visas. This large volume of people awaiting regularization poses a significant challenge to Portugal's immigration policy.

Fonte: www.publico.pt