Portugal has dramatically accelerated the processing of backlogged immigration cases following several years of delays in the system for issuing and renewing residence permits. According to government data, the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) and a special unit tasked with clearing backlogged cases have conducted 763,000 interviews and issued decisions on more than 525,000 cases, of which approximately 473,000 were approved.
This represents a massive clearance of the backlog that formed following the dissolution of the former Service for Foreigners and Borders (SEF), the creation of AIMA, and the abolition of the former “expression of interest” mechanism. This mechanism allowed foreigners already in Portugal to regularize their status if they had a work and tax history.
According to government data, AIMA notified 445,000 people under the now-abolished “expression of interest” scheme alone. A total of 246,000 decisions were made in this category, of which 229,000 were positive and 26,000 were negative, and 225,000 residence cards have already been issued.
Cases involving citizens of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) were considered separately. Under this scheme, 215,000 people were notified, 207,000 interviews were conducted involving 161,000 migrants, and AIMA issued 153,000 decisions, of which 140,000 were positive. 136,000 residence cards have already been issued.
Another major category involves the renewal of expired residence permits. According to Minister for the Presidency António Leiteu Amaro, there were approximately 360,000 such cases; 193,000 people were notified of the need to regularize their status, 104,000 attended appointments, and 82,000 have already received new permits.
Immigration reform has become one of the most sensitive issues for Portugal. The authorities are attempting to simultaneously reduce the administrative backlog, strengthen controls, transition to a more digital system, and abandon the practice whereby the country effectively legalized a large number of people after their entry.
According to AIMA data, as of the end of 2024, there were 1.543 million foreign nationals in Portugal with valid documents or ongoing regularization procedures. This is nearly four times more than in 2017, when 421,800 foreigners were registered in the country.
Brazilian citizens remain the largest foreign community in Portugal, numbering 484,600 people, or 31.4% of all foreigners. The Indian community is the second largest, with 98,600 people. They are followed by citizens of Angola—92,300, Ukraine—79,200, Cape Verde—65,500, Nepal—58,100, Bangladesh—55,200, the United Kingdom—48,200, Guinea-Bissau—47,300, Pakistan—41,500, São Tomé and Príncipe—40,100, and Italy—40,000.
Ukrainians remain one of the largest European migrant groups in Portugal. According to AIMA data for 2024, 79,232 Ukrainian citizens resided in the country, including 31,271 men and 47,961 women. Some Ukrainians are in Portugal under temporary protection, introduced in the EU after the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
AIMA specifically noted that as of the end of 2024, there were 61,242 recipients of temporary protection in Portugal who are not considered holders of a standard residence permit but are included in the statistics on foreign residents.
Geographically, Portugal’s foreign population is concentrated primarily along the coast. The districts of Lisbon, Faro, Setúbal, and Porto account for 1.101 million foreign citizens, or 71.3% of the total. The Lisbon metropolitan area itself is home to many municipalities with the largest foreign communities: Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Amadora, Lores, Odivelas, Almada, and Seixal.
The growth in the number of foreigners reflects several processes at once: labor demand, the influx of migrants from CPLP countries, the increase in the number of people from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, as well as the presence of Ukrainians who received protection after 2022. Authorities emphasize that more than 1.03 million foreign nationals pay contributions to Portugal’s social security system.
