## What changed

SEF (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras) handled residence permits, citizenship applications,
border control and immigration enforcement for decades. In 2023 the government dissolved it as
part of a restructuring, following years of criticism over processing delays and conditions.

AIMA was created to take on the civilian side: integration, migration management and asylum. Its
mandate is framed around integration rather than enforcement. Border control and law enforcement
moved primarily to the PSP and the GNR.

## Why you may still feel the transition

The handover was not instantaneous. It involved transferring a large volume of pending cases,
integrating staff from multiple agencies, and building new operational procedures.

AIMA also inherited a substantial backlog of pending residence permit and citizenship
applications, accumulated in the final years of SEF. The government has acknowledged it and
announced measures including additional staff, streamlined procedures and digital tooling.
Progress has been made, and the backlog remains a real factor in processing times.

## What it means for your language requirement

The language requirement itself did not change because the agency did. A2 remains the level, and
CIPLE and DGERT-certified PLA certificates remain the standard proofs.

What the transition affects is timing. If processing is slower than you planned for, that is an
argument for getting the language document done early rather than late, so it is not the thing
holding your file when everything else is ready.

## Verify before you rely on this

AIMA processes are actively evolving, and specifics shift. Treat this as orientation, and confirm
current procedures through official AIMA channels or a qualified immigration lawyer. We are an
exam preparation tool, not an immigration adviser, and we are not affiliated with AIMA.