According to Executive Digest who cites Público newspaper, the objective, according to the ruling signed by 10 Supreme Court judges, is to put an end to situations of indignity that have been created by AIMA's lack of capacity to respond to requests.

The decision stems from a ruling by the Supreme Court of Justice (STJ) which determines that AIMA must comply with the legal deadline of 90 days in applications for immigrant residence permits.

Thus, if AIMA employees are unable to resolve, in a timely manner, the court summons in this regard, the institution's directors may have to pay out of their own pockets the fines that may be imposed on them by the courts.

The successor to the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) has more than 400 thousand pending processes and is struggling with a lack of resources to respond to so many requests.

According to Artur Girão, president of the AIMA Workers Union, the imposition of the court violates the law but does not solve the problems. “Let us just hope that this decision does not cause a rush to this type of mechanism, because, if that happens, the organisation will be paralyzed and the directors will not be able to pay pecuniary sanctions for situations that arise not under their own responsibility, but due to the fact that the agency does not have the means to respond to them”, emphasises the person responsible, speaking to the radio 'Renascença'

“The decision will put pressure on workers and, above all, managers, in a recently created body and – everyone knows – with pending issues and a lack of resources to deal with them”, points out the person in charge, highlighting that “the determinations of judges are to comply.”