@wkb We are still waiting for biometric appointment to open up. We did the GV fund route and have recieved preliminary approval but have not been able to get an appointment yet. Our lawyer stated that they could be uploaded later, otherwise we would have to continually keep them updated, but that is all the info I have. Probably best to get more sources to confirm.
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I have to sayā¦ we have been very happy with them. They will hold your hand if you want/need it and walk you through what to expect before hand. They have had excellent follow through!
Yesā¦ we have gotten approval. This interview is supposed to be a last step to the beginning of the process. It takes 5 years to get the Portuguese Visa (and the opportunity to apply for citizenship).
Once we pass approval with Portuguese immigration at our interviewā¦ supposedly there is a short wait (relative, I know!) of one or two months to get the āGOLDEN VISAā¦so we can travel within in the Schengen countries and have access to all the perks of being a resident.
The actual Portuguese Visa (which we become eligible for in 5 years), allows us the STRENGTH of the Portuguese Visa, which is currently STRONGER than the US passport (in my opinion) based on who will let you in!
Good luck! Lots of expensive mistakes to be made out there! Get hood legal help!!
Be Careful!
Betsy
@betsykehoe Thank you for explanation. I already got my pre-approval as well.
I was asking if you are traveling with a valid FBI records and apostille (issued within 90 days) or not since you posted in an earlier comment that you just got the apostilles in March.
@tedbean ā thanks for starting this thread. On Facebook, Iāve seen data points for GV including August 2020 application submission to April 2021 application approval to schedule biometrics. My own initial application was just submitted in late April 2021.
To be honest, Iām not even sure what all the different milestones are called (application, application acceptance, initial approval, biometrics, approval, mailing of residence card) but knowing roughly what those different durations are and how those dates are trending would be amazing. With my lawyers (who I actually quite like) I donāt yet feel the most comfortable asking them regularly for frequent timeline expectation updates.
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Iām just as interested as you are. Iāll be happy to collaborate on schematizing this and building an informal survey to collect data. I think that a simple online spreadsheet would suffice for starters. If someone else would like to create such a document and share a link with write access, Iāll be happy to contribute. (I donāt like to log in to the big search engine company.) Feel free to PM me if you want to work together on building the structure before it gets thrown open to the crowd.
Yes, They have been approved. We are not ātravelingā with them. Edge Legal is in control of them and all our paperwork. Strongly advise you get a Portuguese attorney. This is a complicated processā¦made even more so by Covid delays.
@betsykehoe, if I am piecing together your posts correctly, you received your online preliminary approval in March, and now you already have your biometric appointment just two months laterā¦ that is amazing! Well done to you and your representatives. Many of us on this forum have been waiting much longer, and are still waiting for an opportunity to schedule the biometric.
Best of luck on your trip to the Azores. I hope once you have returned you will post a report of your experience.
@tom1 no problem we all are hungry for transparency / clarityā¦ @nevadaandonward sounds good but I think COVID threw off many things so I am not sure if there are clear patterns yet. Hopefully there will be more folks submitting their data here and you can figure it out soon.
For example, while many of us are pre-approved, the biometrics date (if and when they open up) will be random and not based on āfirst-come first-serve.ā So itās very possible those who got pre-approved early last year (2020) may not get biometrics until late 2021 or even 2022, while someone who just submit past few months may get biometrics sooner. Selfishly I am in the former group so thatās not very cool : <
What I learned also is pre-COVID different offices have different post-biometrics timeline; for example, Lisbon being most central ā you likely wonāt get your residency card in hand a few months longer than other SEFs. My guess is all these waits are 2X longer for any office in the foreseeable futureā¦ But right now, I guess it doesnāt matter which office we get appointment anymore, as long as we can get one : >
Thanks for starting this thread. I applied for the ARI in Jan, and still have not received āpre-approvalā, let along the biometrics. The attorney keeps on talking up COVID as the excuse. Iām also thinking this GV is just a lottery. Just forget about, it would be less stressful. I donāt want comment on the slow, archaic, process of presenting yourself in an office and a finger print. It is how it is done in PT I guess.
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What a waste of time and resources. Every PT embassy and consulate has finger print collection equipment. Yet, there is requirement to travel to Portugal for the finger print. They do not care if you understand it, it is how they make themselves look busy, enough to justify the application fee. Or perhaps it really does stimulate the local economy, in a sense.
Still, congratulations on securing an appointment.
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The true intent of this thread is therapy LOL. Hopefully in 2 years time we can organize some in-person mini-celebration / drinking party : >
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Thank you very much for your cheers. I wish you all the best luck on the portuguese dream journey.
I completely agree with you on all points.
GV is just a lottery and we need a lot of lucks to win this.
After finishing the biometric, I will share the status again. Only after that point, I will be able to relax myself.
Agreed with @tedbean that this thread is served as a therapy session. I am glad that we have somethings in common and share it to other people.
Wish you all good heaths for the long battle ahead!
Liam
I addressed this in another thread about timing. If you are past 3 months from application with no pre-approval, you are an anomaly. You should check with your lawyer that they applied when they said they did. I donāt know of anyone else who waited more than 3 months of about 10 people surveyed.
My data is all anecdotal. If sounds as if people here want to create a more data-driven survey based on individual user input. Since the biometric appointments are not assigned chronologically based on pre-approval dates AFAIK, I donāt really see how that would serve much purpose but to raise anxiety for everyone not assigned an appointment. 
In other words, I donāt think the data would be useful for predictive modelling of future appointments.
Quick update: I just got back from my SEF biometrics appointment - bad news is itās just me, not rest of my famā¦
Overall a very not stressful process and was in and out within the 30 minute slot. Lawyer was key to exchange all her prepared docs with the agent (who has a checklist apparently). Taking biometrics was also a breeze ā overall it just makes the whole delays (in appointments) more puzzlingā¦
Was told it will take 1-2 months before the final approval. Lawyer said make it 3 months just in case. Will update then.
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Congratulations on big progress!
If you donāt mind sharing, Iād be grateful for your thoughts on a few related questions:
- Do you think you could have handled it if your lawyer wasnāt there to lead the conversation? i.e. was the SEF agent able and willing to speak English and work with an unescorted customer?
- How long was the interval between preliminary approval and your appointment?
- Did you visit one of the less busy offices to expedite your appointment, or the office that was most convenient for your team?
Iām wondering whether itās feasible to make an earlier appointment in a less-busy, faraway office, even if my lawyers wouldnāt find it convenient to attend.
Thanks, at least I am āin the systemā I guess for real nowā¦
- Donāt recommend it. They were rapid firing Portuguese and both know what they are talking about. The prep work is the key (apostille and translations, etc.) and I think it will be not impossible, but super inefficient if I were to deal with the agent alone (even though she spoke some good English).
- I got pre-approved back in May/June 2020 I think and one day during the summer my lawyer just got this spot quickly for me (before it shuts down completely)ā¦ Hence only I could make it, not an ideal week personally. So itās been 8-9+ monthsā¦
- I donāt know if the office was less busy or not, per #2 aboveā¦
Frankly, everyone in PT and on this board agree that there are no new appointments. So all we can do is waitā¦ eventually we will all āgot throughā but just donāt know when : <
Re: your lawyer and convenience, you have to work it out with them. But I still wonāt recommend going aloneā¦ Hope it helps.
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Thank you! Thatās super-helpful!
Wow, it took a year from approval to appointment. Thatās an imposing data point!
My lawyers are excellent and I donāt doubt that they will go the extra mile for me. I havenāt brought up the issue of remote SEF offices yet, and donāt want to jump to conclusions either way. I know for sure that Iām a more scrappy and nimble traveler than most folks Iāve met.
At this point, many of us super impatient people (me especially) are willing to go to any SEF office, including SEF Antarctica and SEF Africa.
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One of the law firms I am speaking with actually has a price point on visiting SEF offices outside of Lisbon. I asked for a list and they gave me a number of places around the country with SEF offices.
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