Yes, they are, but only in technicality for AIMA. Family re-unifications for lusophones are far more numerous and “lucrative”.
You are giving way too much credit. After living in PT for over one-and-a-half years, I can tell you that this country runs on rails, so to speak. Once a track has been laid, it is very difficult to switch tracks, and for а government employee - it is rather risky and “unnecessary”. Hence whatever mechanism was put at the programme inception, when it might have made sense to allow multiple pairs of eyes to examine few isolated applications, the same persists now. Remember that it is not the GV that caused this major slow down of the entire immigration process, but the overwhelming number of applicants from CPLP and those with simple “Manifestão de interesse”. The unnecessary re-organisation of SEF also didn’t help the matters.
Despite the passionate speeches and promises, nobody can substantially accelerate the complicated process, and nobody is in power to change it.
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I have heard British people in the Algarve call it “jobsworths”… changing things = more than my job’s worth …
Jobsworth - good one -a new unit of measure…
“It would be 3.57 jobsworths of effort to do that…” said the low level flunkie.
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One critical thing to add is the supply vs demand.
Why would the government need to improve or change if the numbers of GV increase every single year? Regardless of the backlogs, people keep jumping into the so called “dead valley”. That means things go well. Nothing major needs to be improved.
If by all of sudden GV applicants drop from 1400 to 100 this year, then the government might do some adjustment to improve.
In this NG’s forum, there is a thread about to apply PTGV. With all given known nashty delays and bureaucracy, people still go “all in”.
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Perhaps a class action with real monetary damages would shift the incentive structure….
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Yeah I was thinking this too, especially because we only spent 2 weeks in the 2nd year and lawyers were worried that might not count, so I figured auto-renewal is safer because they seem more lenient about checking that kind of thing compared to full renewal.
The downside is that after renewal the 2 year clock for another 2 week stay starts ticking, whereas if you delay it that could potentially save on flights and hotels!
If this forum and the tracker list on here is any indication, applicants have dropped substantially since 2021-22. It’s just not common knowledge since ARI only publishes the number of applicants who completed the process, rather than those in the earlier stages.
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I know of three persons in my circle who were ready to invest in early 2022, and even paid fees / retainers to certain firms but (wisely) backed off once it became clear how much of a mess the Golden Visa Program had become.
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I wish that it drops to zero . Only when it drops to zero (or at least 90%), then we will be treated better. If it drops 20%-30%, it will not bring any impact.
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If you do not officially have residence in PT your time in Portugal counts against your time in the entire Schengen area.
Finally, finally, finally an update on the rest of the family (spouse + 2 dependents)! Timeline below:
Application (main): 24 November 2021
Application (+3 family): 29 November 2021
Pre-Approval (main): 29 July 2022
Pre-Approval (+1 family): 12 August 2022
Pre-Approval (+2 family): 23 August 2022
Biometrics (+ family: Porto): 30 January 2023
Biometrics (main: Lisbon): 9 February 2023
Summons Filed: 16 November 2023
Judge Ruled (Denied): 12 January 2024
Summons Filed Again: 5 February 2024
Judge Ruled (Approved): 3 April 2024
Additional Document Requested: 16 April 2024
DUC issued (main): 6 May 2024
Payment made (main): 10 May 2024
Card dated (main): 17 May 2024
Card received (main): 7 June 2024
Follow-on request submitted to the court (family): 18 Jun 2024
DUC issued (family): 25 Jul 2024
Payment made (family): 30 Jul 2024
The payment made timeline is in the future, but I plan on paying the DUCs that day to maximize the amount of time my dependents have next summer to spend their time in Portugal, since both kids will have summer internships, and it is hard to know what the dates for those will be.
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Congratulations!
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Might not even then. GV is out of fashion after all, politically. Might be that they’ll all be glad it’s gone?
I wish that it drops to zero so that nobody else will have to experience what we have experienced. So that the array of parasites who enrich themselves from mismarketing investment migration programs will lose their livelihoods. So that other countries realize when their programs don’t deliver what they promise, the river of money dries up. I want consequences.
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What is meaning of “DUC” ?
It’s a payment document.
Here’s a definition I found online:
Single Collection Document (DUC) will be issued, with a reference number and instructions for payment of the amount due.
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I believe some GV holders, as I read somewhere before, have already submit citizenship applications after 5 year is hit counting from submission date of GV.
Submission is NOT equal to approval. They are still likely to be delayed during the process due to the unprecise law or even to be denied.
Only when an approval of one application counting from the submission date of GV appears can it give us confidence.
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True. Submission does not equate approval. This can only mean some people out there are willing to try out. But has not this new change signed off by by the President as we speak ? I assume their mindset is that by time their file is being examined, this new change should already be effective.
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