First or second week of Feb, though they admit this is a conservative forecast.
That’s a good point. I didn’t think about the fact that the proposed law only affects applicants for citizenship, not applicants for permanent residency. That makes me think taking the course is worthwhile, even if requirements for citizenship change.
Ciple Master also has a flexible express PLA course, which I reviewed in depth earlier in the thread. It’s not cheap, but it’s a great way to fulfill the requirement in a reasonable amount of time.
@Hippopotamousse I ended up working with Ciple as they were more flexible re my application process as I am applying for ancestral citizenship. The instructor is in Porto and is fabulous. The program worked very well for me, the classes are small so you get a lot of attention and I found it very informative.
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My lawyer once mass emailed GV clients about custom PLA courses offered by Portuguese Lab. While I’m too cheap to spend 6k EUR on this, I have used Portuguese Lab’s ~30 EUR/month online subscription (which does not yield a certificate) and like the way they explain things.
EdusetPT also sent me a quote over the holidays for their private PLA lessons:
1 student: 7000€
2 students: 4000€ each
3 students: 3500€ each
4 students: 3200€ each
One reason the “flexible PLA courses” cost so much is that it must be a pain in the neck for the tutor to schedule an hour here, two hours there—and it takes forever to fulfil the 150 hours required. For some of these vendors, if you could find 3 other people in the same time zone and negotiate a deal for say 1500EUR or 2k EUR per person in exchange for committing to a fixed schedule (say, 5 hours/day for 30 days straight, with no days off), I would say it’s a pretty sweet deal.
I ended up signing up for a 750EUR group course that won’t get me an A2 certificate until April, but got me an “Enrolment Certificate” once the course started (in case the revised Nationality Law gets promulgated before April). Of course, the “Enrolment Certificate” is not as good as an actual A2 certificate, because it introduces additional risk that IRN would reject your citizenship application during initial review.
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I have the same strategy. My course starts on 26 Jan. Fingers crossed.
Yes, key point is that CIPLE Master’s VIP express course costs EUR 12k+, whereas GetA2’s express option costs EUR 7k+.
I took their 15 week “fast track” course and it was under $5k at the time. There were a couple of discounts they extended though. I don’t know what the VIP course entails
What was the final cost, then?
Seems kinda high, as there are options that, for the same amount of time, are much cheaper. That “fast track” is quite normal, from what I’ve seen.
I’m doing my A2 with ELanguages, it takes about the same amount of time, maybe less, and they quoted me 810€ with VAT included, there is also a discount that they apply, but even without the discount, it is a lot less than $4/5k.
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Sorry for being unclear, it was just under $5k after the discounts. There are definitely cheaper ways to do it, but the benefit of Ciple Master is the small class sizes. My class was 4 people, which meant a lot of individual attention and practice time. If the goal is just to get the certificate as cost effectively as possible, CM isn’t the way to do it. A purely private class may be a little more flexible, but then you wouldn’t have anyone to practice with, and a larger cheaper class wouldn’t give you the same kind of personal attention. It’s just a question of how someone learns best.
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Has your class started? How’s it going? I’m trying to decide bwtween EdPro and eLanguages. I’m honestly looking for the easiest and cheapest way to get the certification, preferably with an option that is less intensive and takes longer since 1) I simply don’t have 3-4 hours daily to participate in an intensive and 2) I’ll retain more if the course is slower.
Appreciate any feedback!
I completed the LUSA -SIGO certificate. it was 150 hours and took a year around my work schedule. I am trying to get the certificate and they have gone dark. I am told that NOW the SIGO certificate is frowned upon- i.e. likely not accepted. Scrambling to find an A2 exam site asap since I can apply for nationality in a few weeks. As you all know, nothng about this process is smooth.
That’s awful. Some lawyers are advising you can apply with just a certificate of enrollment in a PLA course and update your application after passing it. Might be worth doing that. Supposedly https://elanguages.pt/ is a full PLA course. But worth double checking with lawyers.
Does anyone have any success in enrolling in an A2 course without a residency permit?
We’ve contacted both EdPro and EduSetPT. Honestly, both are horrible at communications (i.e. very slow to respond to emails, don’t pick up phone calls, etc). Both of them initially just wanted an NIF number, a passport copy, and some form of letter attesting that we have submitted for a residency / citizenship application. Both of them are priced at about €750-€800.
Now, both of them want a NISS number. Issue is that we are currently residing outside of Portugal. And from we’ve gathered, it’s recently hard to get a NISS number without some ties (i.e. education / employment / etc) directly to Portugal. We’ve asked CM but they are pricing at €5k+, which is way out of our budget.
All in all, does anybody have any A2 language course provider recommendations that do not need an NISS and that’s reasonably priced?
Thanks!
I was not asked for the NISS number with EduSet PT. May be because I have the residency permit. But I am surprised at the communication element you mentioned as I found them very responsive. They even issued the certificate of enrollment as soon as the classes started.
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Yeah it seems like they’d prefer to see a residency permit, or in lieu of that, an NISS number.
I’m in the same boat so keep me posted on what you learn. EduSetPT didn’t mention NISS but said I need a residency permit.
I’m also worried that the certificate will be rejected for some reason if I took the course without residency.
CipleMaster said they have a “special relationship” with a school in Madeira that doesn’t require the residency. I am fine taking a risk for 1,000 Euros but don’t want to risk it for 5,0000 Euros.
@somecdndude @ayespam10992 Are you both very recent PGV applicants?
I don’t have a residence card or NISS. Paid EdusetPT 750 euros, and they gave me a spot in their PLA course that started in January, with just my passport + NIF + the AIMA email confirming I’ve been given a biometrics appointment (in the future, after the last day of the course).
EdusetPT was very responsive when I reached out during the holidays. EdPro ignored me during the holidays, but got back to me after the new year, so no complaints there either. If they both tell you no, it could just be supply and demand, assuming they can fill their courses with applicants who already have residence cards (and can get some EU funding on them but not you).
Where did you hear the opposite? It doesn’t seem to me that this is a valid certificate for nationality. The following is a dead giveaway.
@yzwang Thanks for the thoughts. Our situation is a little special as we don’t currently have any status in Portugal (biometrics or residency application appointments). I’m under the impression that both EdPro and EduSetPT can accept NISS / residency permit / IRN or AIMA appointment letters (we have none of these).