The notification process regarding requests for expressions of interest, a resource that allowed the legalisation of immigrants who did not have a work visa, has already "sent reports to entities with inspection and criminal investigation powers relating to more than a thousand foreign citizens registered at the same address", according to AIMA.

"AIMA is carrying out an exhaustive verification of all addresses declared in these processes and reporting continuously to the authorities," added the same source.

"Given that a large number of foreign citizens indicated the same address as their place of residence, AIMA has the duty to report this fact to the competent entities", the agency further justified.

In recent weeks, there has been news about many cases of addresses where dozens of people are registered.

These cases became evident after AIMA notified "all of the more than 440,000 citizens who had registered expressions of interest and had been waiting for a response from the State for several years".

"Of this total, around 170 thousand foreign citizens did not pay the legally due fees to continue with their process", which is why AIMA sent, "by registered letter, a notice of termination corresponding to each of the processes in question, as it is required by law".

Thus, according to AIMA, "it is only now possible to carry out this analysis and verify the identity of these people, as well as where they allegedly reside".

The communication to the authorities of cases involving foreign citizens with the same address was made by AIMA on the government's instructions, a source from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers told Lusa.

At the beginning of February, the trial of an alleged network of assistance to illegal immigration that operated in Penha de França, in Lisbon, with an address indicated by more than 1,600 people as being their residence, began.

The crimes at stake include aiding illegal immigration, document forgery, association with aiding illegal immigration and abuse of power.