A disturbing trend has emerged in Portugal, where immigrants have no other choice but to pay illegal brokers to schedule residence permit appointments for them at the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA).
Scheduling an appointment with AIMA is crucial for obtaining a Portuguese residence permit or renewing the document.
However, due to brokers that are overloading AIMA’a phone lines, immigrants in Portugal have no chance to secure appointments, pushing them to turn to illegal means and pay individuals part of these networks, SchengenVisaInfo reports.
As revealed, brokers use special systems to flood AIMA’s phone lines. Since the system is already overloaded, immigrants cannot get in line, and thus, they decide to resort to social media, where they can find individuals and organised groups offering appointment slots in exchange for a high amount of money.
According to Novo, who investigated the case, brokers are charging €500 to €1,000 for an appointment, making it harder for immigrants to legalise their stay in Portugal.
Complaints Have Been Filed With Judiciary Police
This situation has prompted lawyers to file complaints with the Judiciary Police. Inês Azevedo is one of the lawyers who has voiced concerns about the exploitation of immigrants by these brokers.
Azevedo said that immigrants make up a significant proportion of the population in Portugal and contribute to the country’s economy and social welfare system.
Yet, she highlighted that they are being subject to exploitation and called on the Portuguese authorities to take measures as promptly as possible to put an end to such practices.
Through its investigation, Novo found out that people who are involved in illegally selling appointments are immigrants residing in Portugal as well as individuals based in other countries such as Brazil and some other African nations.
The same revealed that appointments for family reunification, especially for children between the ages of five and 15, are the most sought-after.
New Portuguese Law Facilitates Family Reunification Requests
The Portuguese government approved a new law earlier in January of this year, facilitating family reunification requests.
The facilitations came as part of the country’s efforts to enhance the accessibility and efficiency of the immigration process.
Back in January, when AIMA became the successor of SEF, the Agency said that it would launch a digital services portal that would allow for smoother residence permit applications for family reunification. However, to this day, appointments still need to be made by phone.
