Council of Ministers (Portugal)
Portugal's Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, which approves government decrees and legislative proposals.
Overdue residence-permit renewals in Portugal stopped winning automatic approval on 11 September, pushing applicants towards courts the Council of Ministers reshaped on 23 July, when it approved specialised immigration courts against a 152,000-case backlog.
Last refreshed: 18 October 2026 · Appears in 3 active topics
Can Portugal's new immigration courts clear a 152,000-case backlog?
Timeline for Council of Ministers (Portugal)
Mentioned in: Portugal axes tacit renewal of permits
Nomads & CommunitiesIssued Decreto 160 through the Gaceta Oficial
Cuba Dispatch: Decreto 160 flips Cuba's default to yesFailed to bring the national housing decree-law to a vote
Nomads & Communities: Navarra writes the rule Madrid could notApproved diplomas creating specialised immigration and asylum courts
Nomads & Communities: Portugal's backlog moves to the courtsBackground
Portugal's Council of Ministers is the country's Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister. It approves government decree-laws and legislative proposals, either sending them to Parliament or issuing them directly as government diplomas.
Its 23 July 2026 approval of specialised immigration and asylum courts answered official figures showing 152,000 cases pending in first-instance administrative and fiscal courts, a resolution rate of 34%, and a 216% rise in case volume between 2023 and 2024, driven largely by litigation against AIMA.
The Reform pairs two tools: dedicated courts for expertise, and the end of Lisbon's sole jurisdiction over AIMA suits for capacity. Its success depends on whether courts outside Lisbon can absorb a caseload that grows each time the agency misses a deadline.
The cabinet created specialised immigration courts
Diplomas approved by the Cabinet on 23 July set up dedicated immigration and asylum courts and removed Lisbon's exclusive jurisdiction over suits against the migration agency AIMA. The agency faced about 124,000 suits, and only 34% of 152,000 pending first-instance cases had been resolved.
Working inside the old structure, a task force of 28 judges had disposed of 22,436 suits from April to June, so ministers opted for specialisation and geographic spread rather than simply more judges. When Portugal scrapped tacit approval of overdue renewals on 11 September, every missed 60-day AIMA deadline became a potential case for those courts.
What did Portugal's Council of Ministers approve for immigration courts?
How many immigration cases are pending in Portugal's courts?
Why did Portugal end Lisbon's exclusive jurisdiction over immigration cases?
How fast has Portugal's immigration case backlog grown?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 18 October 2026. Editorial standards.