the budget for that got embezzled.
Exactly so. I thought in the year 2021, any Portuguese diplomatic representation could take your biometrics and send it to Portugal for processing. Why have they not thought of it til now… The wait is agonising.
Somehow, I suspect there are missing documents, the lawyer insists this is not the case and would not tell me which one is missing. If I have to provide a new apostille for a new background check this would delay the application into next year… very very frustrating.
Do you know yourself which documents were submitted in the first instance?
You may want to simply check the SEF list of required documents, and if you spot something that you never prepared or shared with your lawyer, that could be the one missing?
I see it. I missing a document. I cannot believe this was missing.
Does this mean my application has to start all over again?
I think it means that you just need to prepare this one outstanding document and then re-submit together with the rest that you already had.
Remember that you need to have your criminal record paper up-to-date (not older than 3 months) when you resubmit your application.
Hi, Could you please share the name of the missing document so others here can be careful to check with our lawyers during the submission.
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You need to upload the tax ID of your tax residence/origin.
This is going to take along time…
My lawyer texted me 8 hrs ago there is a slot on 4th Aug in Ponta Delgada, which I can not take.
So sad, but I also guess one slot if not enough for you? That’s the tough part, it doesn’t really “start” until the whole family has done biometrics…
I have mine approved in Jun and no update from my lawyer on the Biometric appointment date… wondering how long i need to wait … any idea?
the estimated time of waiting is at least 1 year. there is no light in the tunnel.
Been waiting since November, 2020, since I received my initial SEF acceptance. ! Almost a year now .
OMG! Who or what law firm is handling your application?
I am following the property route but have not yet collected my GV pack.
Seeing that the majority of posts refer to ‘waiting for an update from my lawyer…’ - makes me wonder as to what process steps exactly are involved in that ‘update’?
I.e. does SEF somehow notify the lawyer of an open slot with some kind of a personal invite by email or smth?
Or is it rather free-for-all first-come-first-served appointment style where SEF simply posts their timeslots on their portal for anyone to grab?
If the latter, how do we (applicants) know if our lawyer is actually checking the SEF portal? And how frequently do they do that?..
And would it not be easier/more effective for the applicant to check the slots by him/herself instead of ‘waiting for the lawyer’?
Just curious to understand.
It is a free-for-all, and circumstantial evidence (plus media accounts and statements by a government official) strongly suggest that all of the free slots have been slurped up by a “mafia” that is scalping appointments.
I have some essential advice about how go-getters can maximize their prospects of timely success, but I won’t post it publicly until my affairs are resolved–hopefully within 2 weeks.
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The way it works for 99.99% of us is that the lawyers access your account, not yourself. It makes sense because a law firm has many clients, so (as far as I know) SEF created this website a few years ago so that each firm can login and manage all their clients’ GV stuff online (including submitting docs and scheduling appointments) and get all the email notifications, etc.
This was working fine, until now with all these delays. So it turns into a “which law firms will refresh their browser more often than the others” game which is counterintuitive (if I were a highly skilled lawyer, that’s the last thing I want to do).
Only a few “fortunate” folks have it setup like nevada above that somehow they (the applicants) access the site themselves – but in this case, the law firm has NO access. It’s one or the other. (but of course, one has to bear the responsibility of managing everything himself/herself and then coordinate with the lawyers accordingly. I can see people “messing up” or missing things from time to time, including myself).
The bottomline is, as many of us have exchanged on this thread, there is just literally no supply (new slots) from SEF and the only “game in town” is to see if one can grab a last-minute cancellations. But as @nevadaandonward and news suggested there are advanced firms / folks out there just beating everyone else to the punch.
Even if we all suddenly have access and have the will and tools to monitor slots, it won’t be enough for everyone (there are thousands of us and more) – far from it.
So yeah, I am slowly coming to terms that I just have to continue to wait. It’s like an airport is shutdown for a few months and everyone now wants to leave town at once.
For those of you who are considering applying to GV, do take this complete wildcard (i.e., no one knows when we will have new SEF biometrics appointment slots) into consideration. It’s no longer a “5 year-ish” process so plan accordingly – some of us here who are in the process do wish we would know…
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Is any one getting appointments now, in the month of Aug 21? I hear SEF is on strike and not releasing any slots
