This is one of the 42 measures presented by the Government this Monday to respond to the migratory flow and the processes pending at AIMA.

According to Luís Montenegro, the revocation of the expression of interest will take place under a decree-law that will be taken to the Belém Palace today. However, “it could be followed by a review of the law in parliament” if required by the Assembly of the Republic. According to the Government, this new measure will allow for the “permanent correction of irregular entries” into national territory, the document reads.

“We will take the diploma to the President of the Republic today and await its review so that this procedure can be extinguished by its promulgation and its entry into force”, stated the Prime Minister this Monday during the presentation of the program. For Luís Montenegro, this expression of interest “is capable of facilitating the entry of immigrants” and therefore will “come to an end today”.

“We are going to put an end to a process in which 400 thousand people with processes to be completed is synonymous with a lack of capacity, a lack of care“, highlighted the prime minister.

Even so, and in order to help speed up the processes pending at AIMA and considered a priority, the Government also announced that it will move forward with the hiring of 45 visa analyst experts in the General Directorate of Consular Affairs and Portuguese Communities to reinforce the consulates. This is one of several measures that aim to enhance AIMA.

According to the Government, the idea will be to create a mission structure with additional human, material, and financial resources, made possible by “extraordinary hiring measures” to respond to the more than 400 thousand requests for regularisation that are pending. Among the professionals, it is planned to hire more AIMA employees, inspectors from the former SEF (currently assigned to the Judiciary Police), and other professionals or specialists temporarily recruited for this project.