Portugal has almost 700,000 unanswered visa applications, which has led immigrants to demand a speedier visa processing procedure. The sluggish and bureaucratic legalizing procedure in Portugal has drawn the attention of the president of the Portuguese Association for Social Integration of Immigrants (APISI). He questioned the Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum’s (AIMA) ability to handle every problem and underlined that the legalization process is not being sped up by expressions of interest, not even with CLP visas. He warned that things are unlikely to go better without further decentralization.

On the other hand, Luís Goes Pinheiro, President of the Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum, gave Deutsche Welle the assurance that the organization will act quickly to resolve the issues raised by people who are immigrants. Within a year and a half, the government hopes to resolve the almost 350,000 outstanding cases and 340,000 visa renewals for immigrants currently resident in the nation.

According to official sources, more than a million immigrants have been awarded residence visas in Portugal since last year, with over 306,000 of those visas being granted this year alone. Portuguese authorities revealed intentions to modernize their online visa application system in June in an effort to reduce the backlog of applications and lengthy wait times for a seat. Paulo Cafôfo, the Secretary of State of Portuguese Communities, underlined the necessity of adjustments to make it easier for people to enter the nation for a variety of reasons. According to official sources, more than a million immigrants have been awarded residence visas in Portugal since last year, with over 306,000 of those visas being granted this year alone. Portuguese authorities revealed intentions to modernize their online visa application system in June in an effort to reduce the backlog of applications and lengthy wait times for a seat. Paulo Cafôfo, the Secretary of State of Portuguese Communities, underlined the necessity of adjustments to make it easier for people to enter the nation for a variety of reasons.