Complaints against Portugal’s migration agency, AIMA, rose sharply in the first quarter of 2026, increasing by nearly 37% and highlighting a growing crisis of public trust despite efforts to improve operations.
According to a new barometer from Consumers Trust Labs, 504 complaints were submitted through the Portal da Queixa complaints website between January and March – up 36.96% compared to the same period in 2025.
After a difficult 2025 marked by heavy backlogs and mounting pressure, AIMA entered 2026 with increased processing capacity, supported by a new mission structure aimed at speeding up procedures, the complaints portal writes.
However, this operational boost has not translated into improved public confidence. Instead, the report highlights a “modernisation paradox”: the agency is processing more applications, but dissatisfaction is rising.
The satisfaction index currently stands at just 17.2 out of 100 – a level classified as critical – placing AIMA’s reputation at risk and raising concerns about its impact on Portugal’s competitiveness.
Administrative processes are among the leading causes of complaints, accounting for 41.47% of cases. These include delays, validation errors and problems with the issuing of residence permits.
Customer service and overall service quality follow at 35.52%, with many users reporting difficulties in contacting the agency and a lack of transparency. Delays in meeting deadlines (6.55%) and issues with digital services and platforms (6.15%) were also flagged.
According to Portal da Queixa, this shift marks a change in the nature of complaints, moving away from criticism of front-line service towards broader concerns about the effectiveness of administrative systems.
Other key indicators underline ongoing weaknesses, including a response rate of just 12.7%, a resolution rate of 13.6% and an average user rating of 4.11 out of 10.
As a result, AIMA remains among the three most complained-about public entities in Portugal, accounting for 12.12% of total complaints, behind only the housing institute (IHRU) and the mobility and transport authority (IMT). Most complaints relate to migration regularisation processes.
The report warns that the agency is at a critical stage, needing to evolve from a reactive body dealing with backlogs into a proactive organisation that facilitates international mobility.
According to Pedro Lourenço, “the data shows that AIMA faces a challenge that goes beyond operational capacity and is now centred on citizens’ trust.”
“Despite improvements in modernisation and processing capacity, the lack of transparency and predictability continues to fuel perceptions of inefficiency, especially when citizens have no visibility over the status of their applications,” he said.
He added that low response and resolution rates point to failures in communication, with many users initially open to dialogue but losing confidence due to a lack of follow-up.
In a context of growing digital exposure, the report concludes that managing reputation must become a strategic priority for AIMA, warning that failure to align operational efficiency with public trust could have wider consequences for Portugal’s position as a destination for global talent.
