“In 2024, according to data from AIMA (Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum), we had 15% of people failing to attend scheduled appointments,” said Pedro Portugal Gaspar, during the inauguration ceremony of the Local Support Center for Migrant Integration (CLAIM) in São Pedro do Sul, in the district of Viseu.
The person in charge recalled that “the first reason for user complaints is the difficulty in scheduling appointments,” despite the efforts made to improve this situation, which allowed for an increase from a thousand appointments per day to more than six thousand.
According to Pedro Portugal Gaspar, the lack of attendance leads to an unfair situation, because “there are people who are looking for an appointment and others who have an appointment scheduled and do not show up”.
At the end of the ceremony, Pedro Portugal Gaspar told the journalists that, when someone does not show up for an appointment, “they end up wasting a slot that could go to someone else and they end up waiting longer”. The official explained that there is already “a group of appointments that are made by municipalities, which does not exclude the possibility of expanding to other areas of the country, in a contractual logic, in which AIMA bears the cost”. This will be “a matter to be discussed later with local authorities if there is interest, a more technical matter”, he stressed, adding that this second step cannot be taken without the first, which is the creation of CLAIM.
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AIMA have finally updated their system with my new address after their new contact form went live online. However, I'd gone to their local office (where there was hardly any queue) 6 months previously and been told they weren't empowered to make such changes. I imagine that their contact details for a lot of people are out of date. If they're not asking for an active confirmation of appointments offered or offering a functioning route to reschedule it's inevitable that slots will be wasted.
By Arthur Scott from Porto on 08 Jul 2025, 10:42
Charge a deposit for the appointment, AIMA geniuses! If you don't change or cancel within 24 or 48 hours online, you will lose it. Even a small amount would probably work to stop the problem. This is how most organized countries work. Otherwise there is no disincentive to book appointments... BTW I'm sure employees love missed appointments - more time to relax, speak with your friends, look at your social media.
By Johnny Walker from Lisbon on 08 Jul 2025, 15:32
HOnestly, If you would answer my hundreds of phone calls over the past 2 years and the tens of emails the last few months to get an appointment, I promise I would show up for my appointment.
By Diann Schindler from Lisbon on 09 Jul 2025, 09:19
Ha! Nice projection AIMA… rather than acknowledge your own challenges actually issuing appointments, responding to emails or actually answering the phone (or even making a phone call) to address your two plus year waiting list you blame people for not attending appointments that they probably didn’t even know about!! If in doubt, shift the blame!!
By Stuart Wood from Algarve on 09 Jul 2025, 10:23
I am the person doing everything legal almost 3 years in Portugal biometrics done in October 2024, submitted the file after I called so they sent me & after that is still analysing. People with fake contracts already have cards. Where is the justice? Mother of 4 kids!! Working hard. Can not visit my sick mother as i don't have residency. I don't have money to pay for lawyers to be honest.
By Romeels from Lisbon on 09 Jul 2025, 17:18
Have an online scheduling system. Open up appointment slots 180 days in advance, so that some slots (albeit 180 days out) are opened up everyday, and people can pick whatever still available during the 180 days that works best for them. If still too much demand, open the system to priority groups (high skilled workers etc.) 150 days in advance.
- If someone cancels within 48 hours, then don’t allow them to reschedule for another 3 months.
- If someone is a no show, then don’t allow them to reschedule for another year.
The level of incompetence and apathy is simply astonishing.
By Mel from Lisbon on 10 Jul 2025, 00:39
Now it's complete. Even the AIMA inefficiency is a immigrants fault... What else?
By Tj from Lisbon on 10 Jul 2025, 08:02
My husband had an appointment yesterday in Viana do Castelo and I in Porto. We both arrived for our appointments and both were told the appointments were changed to a different date - October and November. The actual message here is that people are showing up for scheduled appointments but being turned away. Our 120 day visas will end in August so we will be illegal immigrants by the date of our new appointments because AIMA doesn't honor appointments that THEY schedule.
By Portugal Peace from Other on 10 Jul 2025, 09:31
AIMA gave me two appointments and no way to contact them about cancelling one. Then they delayed both by 92 days without an explanation (also no contact information). Hopefully my appointment goes smoothly, but I don't even have any access to what documents I need for my particular case (just 3rd party reports about what they needed to bring).
As a software dev, I'd love to help them automate a smoother process but instead I'm waiting around for my appointment before I can work at all. If you're reading this AIMA, I'm quite motivated to help!
By Donald Abrams from Lisbon on 10 Jul 2025, 10:33
We are near Braga. We received unsolicited appointments by email with reminders by SMS for Braga Citizens unit. We followed the instructions, presented the pass codes that came with the notices, and were in and out in an hour. Cordial and efficient. No complaints
By THOMAS michael GALLUB from Other on 10 Jul 2025, 16:43
If Aima would take a deposit for a sum such as 50 euros when making an appointment to be returned when either attending or canceling it. It should solve the problem. It will give people the insentive to cancel the appointment if they are not planning on showing up and this will free appointments for people that need them
By Karen from Other on 10 Jul 2025, 17:35
Mostly talking . It's impossible to have apointment, nobody is o talk there. They added online form which doesn't recognize visa numbers . I wouldn't be surprised if they selling those apointmenta in a black market. I have D8 visa and more than a month , with 400+ otp codes in my email, I try to fill up their online form which telling that sorry your visa number doesn't match with what we have . Any call or write to them , the only answer you will get is to fill up that not working form .
By Niki from Lisbon on 10 Jul 2025, 19:37