Association of Immigrants of the Azores has new headquarters in Ponta Delgada

A Association of Immigrants in the Azores (AIA) now has a new headquarters, in Ponta Delgada, 20 years later, a “historical mark” for the 10,129,000 immigrants living in the region.

Leoter Viegas, in statements to journalists at the inauguration of the new facilities, said that immigrants “come to the Azores looking for a better life”, but “also contribute to the economic development of the region”, this being a “historical mark”.

The person responsible for the AIA considered that one of the main problems for the immigrant community when arriving in the Azores is “territorial discontinuity” because if they need to deal with documentation “they will have to go to the continent”, given the absence of embassies.

Furthermore, the AIMA – Agency for Integration Migration and Asylum, has only been present in three islands, but recognizes that a protocol has been established by the Government of the Azores with the Agency and the Integrated Network of Citizen Support, which however “needs to be tuned”.

Leoter Viegas wants, under the protocol, “the stores of RIAC in all the islands of the Azores can help immigrants in the process of granting and acquiring Portuguese nationality”, something that “is being done phased”.

The president of AIA states, based on AIMA data, that there are 10,129 foreigners in the Azores, “there has been a duplication in the last three years”, being people of 100 different nationalities.

Since April, 2130 visits to immigrants have been carried out by AIA, and 1300 children have been enrolled in regular education.

The regional secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, Paulo Estevão, said to journalists that the region “is receiving emigrants, but not in the size that the country received, about 1.5 million”, and that “this year will be over 11 thousand”.

Paulo Estevão pointed out that the AIA “attended more than seven thousand people throughout the region last year”, and that it provides “an essential public service” that if it were not the association to perform “it would have to be the region to do”.

The governor highlighted the role played by the Government of the Azores, through a protocol concluded between AIMA and RIAC to respond to regularization of immigrants on all islands, since only in the islands of São Miguel, Terceira and Faial existed.

He admitted that the answer is not yet active in all the islands, such as Corvo and São Jorge, “as opposed to what was scheduled”, having announced that in November he intends to go to Lisbon to “try to unlock this situation, so that the protocol is fulfilled in full”.

The Cooperation Agreement and Collaboration Protocol concluded between AIMA and RIAC and the Regional Government of the Azores decentralizes and approximates the services of assistance and regularization of immigrants to the entire archipelago.

The agreement was signed in Ponta Delgada on July 1, 2025, with progressive expansion and coverage of services on all islands.

Immigrants resident or intending to settle in the Autonomous Region of the Azores may deal with administrative procedures falling within the competence of AIMA locally, including the granting and renewal of residence permits and support for family reunification processes.