i think itâs also a bit amazing that you got an email for biometrics on Dec 16 and got an appointment for early January (i see Roman got an email on December 16 and got an appointment on December 18 which is even more amazing).
i hope it doesnât come down to random luck as to when we get our pre-approvals and biometric approval/appointments 
No, sorry. I meant Jan 18th, 2023. I have corrected my post.
Well, good for you, but rather than a âwaiting gameâ it is a test of your endurance!
May more luck be with you!.. 
For those interested, this is how the text of notification looks like:
noreply.PortalSEF@sef.pt
To:
Fri 16/12/2022 06:56
Exmo(a) Sr(a) MY NAME
O Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (SEF) alterou a sua polĂtica de agendamento a candidaturas de Autorização de ResidĂȘncia de Investimento (ARI), no sentido de priorizar os pedidos mais antigos.
Assim, para efeitos do procedimento administrativo referente ao processo de reagrupamento familiar associado Ă sua candidatura de Autorização de ResidĂȘncia de Investimento, efetuada via portal ARI, com o nĂșmero de processo 02142/ARI/094/21, e caso ainda pretenda solicitar autorização de residĂȘncia atravĂ©s do artÂș90/A, deverĂĄ efetuar o seu agendamento entre os dias 16-12-2022 e 26-12-2022 para MY NAME.
A equipa de apoio Ă s ARI.
NĂŁo faça âResponderâ. Este endereço de correio eletrĂłnico Ă© usado exclusivamente para o envio desta mensagem.
Dear Sir/Madam MY NAME
The Immigration and Borders Service (SEF) has changed the scheduling policy for applications to Residence Permit for Investment (ARI) in order to prioritize older applications.
Therefore, and for administrative purposes as per family reunification application within the ARI portal of process no. 02142/ARI/094/21, and in case the application of a residence permit under article 90/A is yet desirable, the scheduling shall be made between 16-12-2022 and 26-12-2022 to MY NAME.
ARI support team.
Do not âReplyâ this message. This e-mail address is used to forward this message only.
In my case, my lawyer got the same e-mail, and she jumped on the opportunity to schedule an appointment within 5 minutes of notification. Both me and her got the confirmations 8 minutes since the above-referenced email. It is vital to stay on top of things if you want things to move!
At long last, pre-approval for my wife and I today! 
Primary application 13/12/2021
Wife application 17/12/2021
Of course we get pre-approval days after the biometrics appointments go up. Guess Iâll be booking in march then? Good luck to the rest of you
Iâm so happy for you guys! It seems most of you get approved around the one year anniversary, which make me sigh cause mine was submitted after Christmas of 2021.
Really cutting it close!
Hopefully things speed up for everyone else, I hope the new people taking over the job are more competent
Husband submitted on 9 December 2021. No pre-approval yet. Itâs such a relief to know that others are in the same boat. Thanks.
so frustrating!
Itâs frustrating indeed, and helpless. Not even the lawyers have any means to speed up the process or simply get to know whatâs happening.
It is frustrating, especially since I want to live in Portugal. I didnât apply for a retirement visa because with a Golden Visa, your 6 months as a tax paying resident doesnât have to be consecutive months in a 12 month period. With a D7 visa, you have to stay in the country for 6 consecutive month or 8 nonconsecutive months in a 12 month period.
What about you Margaret? Do you and your husband plan to move and live in Portugal?
Wendy
One thing my lawyer mentioned is that, since it wasnât possible to submit new GV applications between January and June of 2022, once SEF clears the December 2021 queue, there will be a big jump in the pre-approvals calendar.
Combine that with the fact that many people rushed to apply in December '21 to beat the January rule change(s), leading to fewer applications in 2022 than 2021, and we may have some hope that things will start moving faster!
As a Q3 applicant, this gives me a small amount of hope that it might not be 10,000 years until my time comes.
Why wasnât it possible to submit new GV applications between January and June of 2022? Thanks
Nik, the SEF online portal was âdownâ, not accepting any new applications.
I heard some folks still submitted by post via lawyers.
Happened to us. We sent all documents etc to the consultant by Jan 2022. But as SEF portal was down, our documents could only be processed in June 2022. So we are waiting for the December 2021 batch to get through and see what happens thereafter.
My GV application was made on 14th December 2021. I have just checked with my lawyer in Portugal and she advises that I am still not pre-approved, so this aligns with your assumption that no-one beyond 12th December 2021 seems to be pre-approved at this time. And as someone else commented - a year plus of waiting for pre-approval does seem to be typical at the moment.
I am guessing not much (if anything) will happen at SEF until the new year now, so I will be chasing my lawyer again in the first few days of January.
Regarding the spreadsheet - my data is not included in this. I have tried, unsuccessfully, on many occasions to add my data, but it never adds a row. I am trying to add my info from an iPad. If anyone knows if this is the reason, or has experienced this problem themselves and managed to find a work-around, Iâd appreciate any guidance!
My GV application was made on Dec 02, 2021 and it is is still not pre approved. Very sad(
The spreadsheet is manually updated by the owner, so it can take a while to update after you submit your info.