“not a serious idea”
relax, guy
I expect the MI (manifestação de interesse) route will be severely clamped down in today’s announcement.
I have praised Portugal’s liberal Ellis Island policies in the recent past, but there’s no denying that the state’s capacity to absorb people at the rate they’re coming in is under strain, as a 400,000 case logjam would indicate. State capacity is not just processing permits on time but ensuring that all other services like healthcare, law enforcement, justice, social security, education, housing scale as well. Otherwise this will become another place where immigrants are blamed for everything.
Starting 2017, one could get into the MI queue by showing up in Portugal from anywhere, not just Portuguese-speaking countries, legally or otherwise, holding down a minimum wage job and paying taxes for 12 months. At this price (and given the prize of an EU passport at the end of the tunnel) the demand is very high.
Neither in geographic size, economic size or unexploited potential is Portugal anything close to early-1900s USA to absorb (effectively) open immigration, not to mention pressure from the rest of the EU. Portuguese immigration policy will recalibrate to this reality sooner or later.
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TLDR; Article 88.2 manifestação de interesse RIP (2017-2024)
Future immigrants via the employment route will have to show their employment contracts at consulates in their country of origin. No retrospective measure contemplated for existing people in the queue, may even get fast-tracked.
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There is a high probability you will be blocked by some sensitive GV applicants whose sensitivities would be hurt by your comments.
Mine are hurt too.
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To connect the dots: Given that the counting of time since “manifestation of interest” towards the citizenship application was hoped to also compensate GV applicants for their long wait, keep an eye on whether/how that is affected by these changes.
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Here’s a summary of today’s announcement:
And the government’s slide deck is here:
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Measure 16: Auditar os processos de avaliação linguística para a obtenção de nacionalidade portuguesa.
Looks like the government is going to verify the language certificate required for citizenship.
Indeed - good spot
Will these new investors join the same broken queue we’re in?
“Government will create a golden visa for investments in equipment and projects to support vulnerable immigrants, according to the migration plan, presented this Monday at Nova SBE, in Carcavelos.”
‘“This extension of the ARI adds to that foreseen in ‘Construir Portugal’ for investment in housing at controlled costs or affordable income”, recalls the Executive in the migration plan.’
If you want to read the details yourself, see “MEDIDA 32” on page 20 of the proposals published by Eco.pt here…
“From strengthening AIMA to the end of visas without a contract. These are the 41 Government measures for migration”
Seems like closing the door on expression of interest is sensible, but I’m not seeing much here about the golden visa, nor anything to suggest this helps our fortunes in any meaningful way. Has anyone spotted something different?
Let us have faith that this measure will decongest Aima
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Well there’s this… 
“a pilot project to award performance bonuses to AIMA workers”.
“When AIMA speeds up administrative processes, it also accelerates its revenue, with the collection of fees”, he clarified. Therefore, the Government understands this measure as “a sharing of increased productivity with workers”
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I don’t think AIMA deserves faith. I do not have faith in AIMA. I only have patience, because I am luckily in no rush to move to PT. Things will work out eventually.
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MEDIDA 36: Transferir a competência de atendimento presencial dos pedidos de renovação de autorização de residência do IRN para a AIMA
This point in the government slides is clarifying for GVs. An AIMA official recently told our lawyer that responsibility for GV renewals was shifting to IRN, but it seems AIMA is not getting rid of us that easily …
The counterargument is that the MI program provided an incentive for workers to come out of the black economy, register with authorities and pay taxes. And to that extent it was successful before this backlog developed. Portugal’s economy needs immigrants paying taxes to fund its social services. Taking away MI is not going to stop people coming to Portugal via tourist visas (or entering elsewhere in Schengen) and working, but it will likely shift many people off the books. I’d be surprised if many in the agricultural sector are prepared to put together the paperwork for someone in Kathmandu to apply at an embassy to come pick oranges for minimum wage. And Portugal’s embassies are too poorly staffed to process a surge of work visas in any reasonable timeframe. Getting rid of MI might make short term political sense and will take the workload off AIMA, but it will create the need for reform in other areas.
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Was disappointed to see the specific reference to “in-person” for renewals. Was hoping they might reopen the online renewal process for us.
While it might make it more appealing, it is by no means necessary for retain MI for the purpose(s) you mention.
See https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/despacho/745-2018-114528158