I suspect for D7/D8 visas they have already done this, as I see on some of the Facebook groups that those people are always interacting with a corporation called “VFS”…?
We watch a British TV programme which follows Brits new livesvin the sun.
It has just featured a couple who recently moved to the Costa del Sol.
4 weeks prior to this episode they applied for a Golden Visa on the back of their Spanish investment.
In today’s episode, they were granted their Golden Visa.
Four weeks! Read and weep Portugal.
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VFS handles Portuguese visas issued by consulates overseas and has for years. But they don’t do residence cards inside Portugal.
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It would be relatively seamless for Portugal to outsource ALL visa processing to VFS similar to how D7 and currently processed. This would free up staff to focus on final approvals.
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It seems that AIMA has entirely shelved the GV process—no pre-approvals since early November, people who did their biometrics mid-22 are STILL waiting for their cards. I know lawsuits are case-by-case and kafkaesque. Is there another way to at least pressure AIMA to tell us whether and when they intend to resume processing our applications? A petition?
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A petition would not help IMO. Most likely the stoppage is the result of the new laws that went into effect in October/November converting ARI to D2. This requires regulations to be promulgated by the President , adopted by the government and to be disseminated to AIMA staff for training, and finally to restart the workflow. Add to this the issues with the government being dissolved and new elections and you have, perhaps for the 3rd time in as many years, the perfect storm for nothing to get done. We have seen these similar types of stoppages in the past, and things always manage to get back on track eventually. The new proposed changes to the Citizenship laws take the urgency away from this situation except for those applying from countries requiring a visa to travel to the EU. I’d estimate things should be back on track by March.
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Out of all sorts of conjectures, this makes the most sense on why nothing has been approved for so very long
Don’t forget the 2 months leading up to Christmas, and the 2 months after New Year’s! 
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Is this really a big deal? If you have funds to get a GV, you certainly have enough funds to get a regular Schengen tourist visa. And that’s obviously much faster than a GV.
well, you have to get a Schengen visa anyway if you want ARI. You have to get in the country somehow to stand before the desk to make your application, and the law specifically says you have to be there on a Schengen visa.
You assume it is faster to get a Schengen visa, or easier. Remember that visa only lasts for as long as they’re willing to issue it for or for as many entries as they choose to allow you, and you have to do things like show you are going to leave at the end of it. And it isn’t guaranteed to be particularly predictable, or dependent on money. For some people in the world, this is a really, really significant headache.
Consider the case of a nice young Filipino who wanted to go on vacation to Europe. She was rejected for not having proof that she was going to leave. She ended up having to show her tickets for her Taylor Swift concert in Singapore. Which worked, Swifties are pretty committed.
So being able to be exempted from the Schengen visa process entirely is a really significant win for many people.
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I don’t think this is the reason. The automatic renewals are still happening, with no change as far as I’m aware for those who made a real estate investment. Also, post law change there were still quite a few examples of pre-approvals and final approvals coming through. The grind to a halt happened when AIMA took over.
I think a more likely cause of the delay is simply the logistics of switching from one agency to another.
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That still sounds easier, faster and cheaper than applying for a GV!
If you can afford a GV you can afford to demonstrate strong ties to your home country. Job, house etc. That will get you a visa. And unlike a GV, a tourist visa really is granted in a few weeks. You don’t even have to apply through Portugal, there are easier countries.
The idea that anyone would pay half a million euros and wait years and fly back and forth for multiple biometrics appointments and fulfill stay requirements just to avoid a Schengen visa…
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Plus I doubt much of anything happens on either side of December anyway! In Portugal, Christmas vacation ends right before summer vacation starts.
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This is an ignorant and insensitive comment with no basis in reality. I want to make it clear that most of us don’t feel this way and your opinions are your own. If you have such contempt for people don’t move there.
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Given that almost everyone here has invested a shit ton of money in Portugal and are still treated so poorly + the lacklustre work ethic, I think that joke was very much justified.
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I did my biometrics in Lisbon in the last week of December and it was very busy. Didn’t see much indication that things had shut down.
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My experience also.
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You are confusing the legislative decisions by the ruling government party with the work habits of regular AIMA staff (who are largely underpaid).
Eh. He’s right. The work ethic is simply different there, as are people’s priorities.
The issue is that we keep expecting our rules and imperatives and priorities to apply in their culture, and not only do they not apply, I think on the whole they view the way we view the world as … not so much wrong, as unhealthy and unfulfilling and not conducive to a healthy, happy life. And since it’s their country not ours, their rules apply, not ours, and if we don’t like it that’s our problem, not theirs.
That said, I think any number of Portuguese would not only get the joke, they would even agree with it. I could be wrong of course. But I sure wouldn’t want to be the one making it.
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Just to add my two cents on the point of work ethics.
I recently had contractors helping me with some house renovation. They started every work day at 8am finishing some time after 5pm with 1hr lunch break. They also worked on a Saturday occasionally and completely skipped the two major public holidays in December, working full day 8 to 5 as if it was a regular weekday.
Why? Simply because they knew I do not live in my Portugal home all the time, so it would have been better for me to shorten my stay monitoring their work. But I did not ask them to do that. I did not ask them to work Saturdays or public holidays, and it was not included by them into the quote.
That’s just one most recent example, I have many more.
I know SEF/AIMA are a pain, I have dealt with them myself same as all of us here.
But please guys don’t become all miserable and bitter and badmouth the whole country, as then you won’t be able to enjoy your own life neither in Portugal nor anywhere else, while SEF/AIMA would not even know or care about your misfortune. By posting nasty comments about PT you only make yourselves look like some unfortunate victim of circumstances, which I am sure you are not and don’t want to be. Be good yourselves, meet good people, enjoy life.
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