Has anyone heard about this? Could this be a risk to GV or D7 applicants?
“…[applicants] were asked to pay amounts of up to 400 euros within a very short period of 10 days, under penalty of their requests being forfeited.”
“…the AIMA workers’ union argued that the measure could help to resolve pending processes, as some of the immigrants no longer reside in Portugal, according to that statement.”
AIMA charging €400 to speed up residency applications - The Portugal News
Already discussed here and the posts below it:
It is related to the legalisation via article 89 from Portugal. People are coming with Shengen visa, get work contract or create a small business, than make so called manifestação and wait about 2 yrs before AIMA invite them for application.
New government does not like this practice at all and plan to stop it. PM has already told to journalists that it will not be allowed to apply from Portugal, only outside via visa D, which obviously will limit the amount.
But they need to deal with the large number of manifestacões, accumulated during 2 yrs. So it is a measure not to speed up anything, but cut this amount a bit. They will invite only those who pay in advance. Also they may drop applications of those who miss the term of payments. However, I think 10 days will be extended as outcry would be very loud.
Thanks, searched before posting but didn’t find it.
So the previous government liked these manifestação immigrants and changed the law to give the citizenship faster … now the current government wants to kill this path completely?
I’m getting whiplash here!
Well, PS I think was just creating its voting base. Because immigrants reached 8% of population now. I think 10% with naturalized in last 5 years.
At the same time both type of immigration in large numbers - 1) shengen + work/small businesses and 2) fast and easy CLPL are not even complying with usual EU practice. It is the only Shengen country which allows to come on tourist visa and relatively simply be legalized. As for CLPL, EU is not happy with shallow or almost not existent checks. Plus autorenewals when people could renew even if they not fulfill any conditions. Portugal also did not invest into some new software on the borders check, and there were threats recently that it could be out of Shengen if nothing changes.
Socialist party got majority for 4 years and was trying to do as much as possible without taking into account opinions of other parties. Lost on corruption scandal now just after 2 years. Apparently as PS passed some laws with all other parties and the president against it, now it is time for others to revenge.
You know what the new premier-minister have done the first? Changed the govermnent logo back. The logo was changed by Costa about half a year ago.
AIMA really should be reformed. Let’s take GV. They do not like golden visas, and discriminate on timing of analysis against other types of permits. It is unbelievable! It should be regulated by other measures, by laws and procedures, not like now.
Today I tried to visit the AIMA office across from Parque in Lisbon. I’ve never seen it like this: hundreds of agitated “manifestação” applicants crowded outside police barricades, about a dozen police officers, and a couple different TV camera crews set up for interviews. The police wouldn’t allow me to approach and speak with the AIMA people at the door; they are usually available to answer general questions. I perceive that AIMA and its eager customers are having interesting times.
Charging this money is an effective if brutal way of clearing the queue. (Can’t come up with 400 euros in 10 days? Maybe not the immigrant at the top of a country’s wishlist.)
Are they actually deporting the people they screw over with this, or just leaving them in limbo?
What do you think? 
There have been a few news stories in the last day that suggest a further change in the CLPL visas, in particular de-coupling them from “regular” visas and requiring demonstration of support while work is being sought. It caught my eye that the necessary ordinance has been signed, but I haven’t seen it. Since the regulation we are all waiting for is mostly about the waiting period for CLPL immigrants, and GV is along for the ride, has anyone seen this regulation and does it impact us?
Do you mean this?
AIMA pede a imigrantes 400 euros em 10 dias. Governo promete "resposta", 9-May 2024
…According to the entity, this procedure was based on a “regulatory decree (no. 1/2024) of January 17, 2024, approved by the previous Government, and which ordered new fees to be applied to the processes then pending”.
No, stories like this: Vistos CPLP vão ter regras “mais exigentes”, assegura secretário de Estado das Comunidades Portuguesas – Observador
Particularly this: " Por outro lado, os vistos CPLP vão deixar de se sobrepor a todos os outros."
So now 50,000+ people are trying to pay… oh but they can’t get to the payment counter…
All the news putting pressure on AIMA to speed up is heartening, I hope it helps
Two problems in my view
GV has never been slowed down primarily because of AIMA backlogs in general - they’re just slow rolling GV applications separately (and in addition)
At least on /r/portugal (so, certainly not a broad slice of portuguese society), the blame seems to be more on the government offering easy visas to people to move to Portugal, instead of on AIMA for being incompetent. Everyone wants visas to be harder to get, not for AIMA to work faster
What about those “immigrants” who came up with 350,000 euros or 500,000 euros? Surely these folks aren’t also on the top of the wish list as many are waiting 2+ years 
The current government wants to tighten-up CPLP “simplified” visas (“easy visas” in @garrett’s post above above 
), yes.
Not sure why anyone (i.e. the previous government) ever thought they would not become problematic. I mean geeze, even my gym pass has my photo on it!
Migration. Government promises a plan “soon” - DN, 13-May 2024
One of the main reasons for the switch was the speed of the [CPLP] process, which takes just a few days to complete, whereas the Expression of Interest takes up to three years. However, many of the immigrants who switched from MI [Expression of Interest] to CPLP regretted the move.At the time, it wasn’t clear what rights the document would give access to, such as traveling through the Schengen Area or family reunification - actions that are not allowed for those who have such a document. The limitation on travel is related to the rules of the Schengen Area, because the model of the document does not follow the standards of the European Union, such as the existence of biometric identification. The CPLP permit is a piece of paper, with no photo, just a QR Code and the immigrant’s identification data. This is the reason for an ongoing disciplinary procedure by the European Commission.
It’s certainly getting the Government’s attention. We GV’ers are only along for the ride with these “hundreds of thousands,” but maybe some good will come of this… someday.
I have already asked the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and the Minister of the Presidency to start a dialogue with the parliamentary groups on this matter next week”, said Luís Montenegro.
The objective is to present contributions to design “an action plan, to be implemented immediately, that can resolve the hundreds of thousands of backlogs and that can, in the future, avoid new accumulation”.
I read a post in FB community that someone visit AIMA at Cascais and the deputy head there explained to him that all GV application, renewal will be moved to AIMA website and we all will receive an email to do so just like the process of current 882/892 visa applicants. Currently, their priority is on resolving hundreds of thousand of 882/892 backlogs which the department is under tremendous pressure. This means that all GV applications waiting for pre-approval and GV holders waiting for renewal will not have any progress until the system is ready. Could someone verify if this is true?
Could you link where you read this please?
I tried to find the post on FB, unfortunately, I could not fine it. Let’s see how things develop.