2,092 days after my GV application was approved on March 2020, and 100 days after my first card was printed, I finally received my first residence card.
But here’s the new lesson I learned:
For months, I kept pushing my lawyer to follow up, telling her that the long delay after paying the DUC on July 4th was not normal. She kept insisting everything was normal. Eventually, I came to Lisbon myself — and once my lawyer finally checked, what happened?
The card had already been issued, sent to her office by post, returned because the office had moved, and was sitting at AIMA the entire time. It only needed a simple follow-up.
Apparently, many cards are being returned to AIMA. So if your card still hasn’t arrived long time after paying DUC, ask your lawyer to go to AIMA. And if they don’t do it, go yourself in person.
For me it took almost 6 years to receive the first residence card, while we should have the citizenship now! No news from my family DUC yet.