How can Portugal expect to attract international talent if it cannot provide the conditions for people to stay? One of my PhD students, an excellent Egyptian doctoral candidate, has returned to Egypt after AIMA Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo, Portugal’s Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, scheduled his residence permit appointment for 27 May 2027. That date bears repeating: 27 May 2027. As a university lecturer, I find this deeply concerning. Behind an appointment date is a person, an academic journey and a research project. The consequences of such a wait are human, scientific and institutional. Internationalising higher education requires more than recruiting students. It requires the conditions to welcome them and enable them to pursue their work. Universities’ efforts are undermined when administrative procedures become an obstacle to their students’ ability to remain in the country. This student’s academic merit makes the loss particularly clear. But fair treatment and a timely response should be available to everyone. I call on AIMA Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo and the authorities responsible for higher education to review this case urgently and ensure that international students and researchers receive responses consistent with academic timelines. What practical solution can be offered to this student before May 2027? Portugal loses when someone who came to study and contribute ends up leaving because they cannot keep waiting. (translated)