Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
[PT180] Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA)(Portugal)
1.2. Contact organisation unit
DPEE - Planning, Studies and Statistics Department
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
AIMA, I.P., Avenida António Augusto Aguiar, 20, 1069-119 Lisboa, Portugal
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
7 August 2026
2.2. Metadata last posted
7 August 2026
2.3. Metadata last update
7 August 2026
3.1. Data description
Data collection on EU Blue Cards statistics based on the EU Directive on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purpose of highly qualified employment. EU Blue Cards statistics were produced under Directive 2009/50/EC. As of 19 November 2023, this Directive is replaced by Directive (EU) 2021/1883. The new legal requirements regarding supplementary statistics apply from the reference period 2024.
The following datasets were collected under the initial framework by 2023:
EU Blue Cards by type of decision, occupation and citizenship (migr_resbc1);
Admitted family members of EU Blue Cards holders by type of decision and citizenship (migr_resbc2);
EU Blue Cards holders and family members by Member State of previous residence (migr_resbc3).
Starting from the reference period 2024, EU Blue Cards statistics cover the following datasets:
Persons subject to EU Blue Card decisions by length of validity, age, sex, citizenship and occupation (migr_resbc11);
Persons subject to EU Blue Card decisions by length of validity, age, sex, citizenship and size of employer (migr_resbc12);
Persons subject to EU Blue Card decisions by length of validity duration, age, sex, citizenship and economic sector of employer (migr_resbc13);
Persons subject to decisions on residence permits for family reunification with EU Blue Card holders, by duration, age, sex and citizenship (migr_resbc2);
EU Blue Card holders admitted for long-term mobility by length of validity, age, sex, citizenship and previous country of residence (migr_resbc31);
EU Blue Card holders’ family members admitted for long-term mobility by age, sex, citizenship, and previous country of residence (migr_resbc34);
Persons subject to a rejected application for EU Blue Cards by reason, age, sex, citizenship and occupation (migr_resbc41);
Persons subject to a rejected application for EU Blue Cards by reason, age, sex, citizenship and size of employer (migr_resbc42);
Persons subject to a rejected application for EU Blue Cards by reason, age, sex, citizenship and economic sector of employer (migr_resbc43);
EU Blue Cards granted to beneficiaries of international protection by length of validity, age, sex and citizenship of the holder (migr_resbc5);
EU Blue Cards granted to beneficiary of free movement rights by length of validity, age, sex and citizenship of the holder (migr_resbc6);
Long-term permits granted to former EU Blue Card holders by age, sex, and citizenship (migr_resbc7).
Directive 2009/50/EC was transposed at national level on 9 August 2012.
Directive (EU) 2021/1883 was transposed at national level on 29 October 2023.
3.2. Classification system
See table 3.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Migration and asylum – Residence permits statistics, EU Blue Cards.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
3.5. Statistical unit
Number of persons.
3.6. Statistical population
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
3.7. Reference area
Portugal.
3.8. Coverage - Time
See table 3.8. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Number of persons.
Calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
The new Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum in Portugal, also known as AIMA, I.P., began operating on October 29, 2023.
This new agency faced the challenge of integrating the functions previously performed by undefined former SEF, maintaining the regionalized service structure and introducing new digital strategies to facilitate and improve residency processes.
At AIMA, there is a clear separation of political and administrative functions, allowing for the launch of a series of new measures, features, and policies that will expand and improve the quality of access to services, strengthening the security of processes and procedures and the trust and credibility of users and society in general.
Those responsible for the data registration units supervise, control, and execute all the work, in addition to verifying its accuracy, which makes the process a little slower due to the various digital changes that AIMA is undergoing in its computer system, but everything has been resolved with hard work and persistence.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
With the reallocation of the undefined former SEF's powers and responsibilities to the Agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum, I.P. (AIMA) and the restructuring of the Portuguese system for border control management, international protection, and documentation of foreign citizens, the following measures were taken, ensuring close cooperation between all institutions:
1) Border control; coordination and management of databases and information systems relating to the movement of persons and border control:
National Republican Guard (GNR);
Public Security Police (PSP);
Internal Security System - Border and Foreigners Coordination Unit (SSI/UCFE);
2) Supervision and control of the stay of foreign nationals:
Public Security Police (PSP);
National Republican Guard (GNR);
3) Responsibility for coordinating the work of the security forces and services among themselves and between them and the Institute of Registration and Notary Affairs, I. P., and AIMA:
SSI/UCFE
In other words, in reality and in practice, AIMA is responsible for assessing and deciding on return cases.
The GNR and PSP are responsible for enforcing return decisions.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Not applicable.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
The Statistics Department, in accordance with the GDPR, and the department responsible for data protection at AIMA, regulate the necessary confidentiality of the data extracted.
The data is reliable and verified by the Statistics Director.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
AIMA is constantly made available to INE - National Institute of Statistics, either by e-mail or on its platform with deadlines for sending.
This is necessary data and an obligation of the Portuguese state.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not applicable.
12.3. Completeness
See table 12.3. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
Not applicable.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The accuracy of all the tables on residence permits is quite high, which means almost 100% accuracy.
The statistics reported almost accurately measure the target population, as provided for in Regulation (EC) No 862/2007(as amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/851) and as defined in the Operational Guidelines for residence permit statistics.
The target population, i.e. third-country nationals applying for a residence permit, is represented very accurately by the residence permit applications in the IND registers, and validated compilations of this data are made to fill in the mandatory tables.
The deviation is usually almost zero.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3.1. Coverage error
Not applicable.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not applicable.
13.3.2. Measurement error
Not applicable.
13.3.3. Non response error
Not applicable.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.4. Processing error
Not applicable.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
Given the transfer of responsibilities from undefined former SEF to AIMA, I.P., as well as the reduction in the number of staff, the resulting evidence is still evident, as are the changes in the databases.
Unfortunately, AIMA is slightly behind schedule in presenting its work.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not applicable.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
Not applicable.
14.2. Punctuality
See table 14.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Not applicable.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Statistics are comparable between geographical areas in Portugal.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
15.2. Comparability - over time
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
Not applicable.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
There are no coherence issues with other data sets.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
The statistics are comparable over all years.
There are no sub annual statistics, only annual statistics.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Not applicable.
17.2. Data revision - practice
See table 17.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Annually.
18.3. Data collection
All statistics are extracted from the AIMA database, which contains all individual administrative data on residence permits.
18.4. Data validation
A set of standardised validation checks are applied by AIMA.
18.5. Data compilation
Data is processed by the AIMA, according to the rules for validation and control of the technical guidelines by Eurostat.
18.5.1. Imputation - rate
Not applicable.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
18.6.1. Seasonal adjustment
No statistical technique applied.
AIMA, I.P., is still updating its entire IT park and platforms due to the change in AIMA's structure.
Data collection on EU Blue Cards statistics based on the EU Directive on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purpose of highly qualified employment. EU Blue Cards statistics were produced under Directive 2009/50/EC. As of 19 November 2023, this Directive is replaced by Directive (EU) 2021/1883. The new legal requirements regarding supplementary statistics apply from the reference period 2024.
The following datasets were collected under the initial framework by 2023:
EU Blue Cards by type of decision, occupation and citizenship (migr_resbc1);
Admitted family members of EU Blue Cards holders by type of decision and citizenship (migr_resbc2);
EU Blue Cards holders and family members by Member State of previous residence (migr_resbc3).
Starting from the reference period 2024, EU Blue Cards statistics cover the following datasets:
Persons subject to EU Blue Card decisions by length of validity, age, sex, citizenship and occupation (migr_resbc11);
Persons subject to EU Blue Card decisions by length of validity, age, sex, citizenship and size of employer (migr_resbc12);
Persons subject to EU Blue Card decisions by length of validity duration, age, sex, citizenship and economic sector of employer (migr_resbc13);
Persons subject to decisions on residence permits for family reunification with EU Blue Card holders, by duration, age, sex and citizenship (migr_resbc2);
EU Blue Card holders admitted for long-term mobility by length of validity, age, sex, citizenship and previous country of residence (migr_resbc31);
EU Blue Card holders’ family members admitted for long-term mobility by age, sex, citizenship, and previous country of residence (migr_resbc34);
Persons subject to a rejected application for EU Blue Cards by reason, age, sex, citizenship and occupation (migr_resbc41);
Persons subject to a rejected application for EU Blue Cards by reason, age, sex, citizenship and size of employer (migr_resbc42);
Persons subject to a rejected application for EU Blue Cards by reason, age, sex, citizenship and economic sector of employer (migr_resbc43);
EU Blue Cards granted to beneficiaries of international protection by length of validity, age, sex and citizenship of the holder (migr_resbc5);
EU Blue Cards granted to beneficiary of free movement rights by length of validity, age, sex and citizenship of the holder (migr_resbc6);
Long-term permits granted to former EU Blue Card holders by age, sex, and citizenship (migr_resbc7).
Directive 2009/50/EC was transposed at national level on 9 August 2012.
Directive (EU) 2021/1883 was transposed at national level on 29 October 2023.
7 August 2026
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
Number of persons.
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
Portugal.
Calendar year.
The accuracy of all the tables on residence permits is quite high, which means almost 100% accuracy.
The statistics reported almost accurately measure the target population, as provided for in Regulation (EC) No 862/2007(as amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/851) and as defined in the Operational Guidelines for residence permit statistics.
The target population, i.e. third-country nationals applying for a residence permit, is represented very accurately by the residence permit applications in the IND registers, and validated compilations of this data are made to fill in the mandatory tables.
The deviation is usually almost zero.
Number of persons.
Data is processed by the AIMA, according to the rules for validation and control of the technical guidelines by Eurostat.
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
Annually.
Given the transfer of responsibilities from undefined former SEF to AIMA, I.P., as well as the reduction in the number of staff, the resulting evidence is still evident, as are the changes in the databases.
Unfortunately, AIMA is slightly behind schedule in presenting its work.
Statistics are comparable between geographical areas in Portugal.
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
