"The dynamics of complaints, or rather, grievances, have decreased significantly, with an increase even in service," affirmed the president of the AIMA Board of Directors, Pedro Portugal Gaspar.

In statements to journalists at the University of Évora, on the sidelines of the signing of a collaboration protocol with the academy on the new Local Centre for Support to the Integration of Migrants (CLAIM) at the institution, the head of AIMA recalled the "great effort" made in 2025 to respond to requests.

Last year, he specified, AIMA "provided more than 600,000 services and issued more than half a million cards, that is, the final title."

"Therefore, it is normal that there are some complaints and grievances surrounding these matters," namely due to "errors in issuing the card [or] swapped addresses," among other lapses.

But, thanks to the "overwhelming production numbers," the trend is that "the number of complaints has been decreasing to levels of 50% [of] what it was in relation to 2024," noted Pedro Portugal Gaspar, although assuring that, "even if it were only one, it would naturally be relevant."

In statements to journalists, the president of AIMA also explained that, through the CLAIM offices in various parts of the country, decentralisation and network articulation are achieved, which "allows for greater proximity and a more responsive capacity to the citizen."

And, in this way, he continued, the aim is to "contribute to a more humanised and personalised treatment" of immigrants.

Across the country, “the largest fringe” of CLAIM offices operate “in direct coordination with the municipalities,” totalling “around 100,” he specified.

In addition, nearly 50 partner with associations, and with regard to universities, “eight or nine” have already been created, he revealed.

“What is intended is, naturally, a synergy of efforts between AIMA and these geographically differentiated partners,” said Pedro Portugal Gaspar, recalling that “there is no single recipe” for these migrant support centres, but rather “a coherent philosophy.”

Some of the CLAIMs “ensure the processing of documents and even the decentralisation of AIMA’s functions in that same document processing,” while others “have a more informative bias.”

“But in all cases, the contribution is aimed at helping and resolving” situations related to immigrants, he observed: “Of course, some with a more associative bent have a stronger dynamic in the challenge of integration, and therefore, not so much in the documentary or formal component, but in the actual integration and social challenge.”