Why dont we consider an alternative way? There is no skin in the game for either portuguese govt or SEF or our own lawyers. Heck, even if individual cases are won, they dont form a precedent for relief to other investors. Considering the amount we spend individually on going to the administrative court of lisbon, why cant we collectively as GV investors go to International court of justice. It will be big negative publicity for the portuguese govt. They will be forced to act. We invested in good faith in line with GV guidelines and I think we should have a solid case. I am also sure, a ruling in our favor will rather lead to structural changes in the process and SEF staff increase rather than fewer and more expensive individual victories.
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My lawyer update that current case received to them n 29 aug was submitted on 28 dec 2021. While few more cases submitted n same date but no update so far on tht
Based on feelings toward GV in the EU, I wouldn’t expect much sympathy there.
Hello Shashank, I can understand your frustration and the willingness to goto ICJ but your case shall not be accepted out there as ICJ is meant to settle disputes among sovereign nations and no individual or a group shall be entertained period. Forget about the EU courts either and the case might not be accepted even at Supremo Tribunal de Justiça - Which is the Supreme Court of Justice in Portugal.
Coming back to the point, the GVs are totally case-by-case basis and everyone has to fight for themselves and that’s the only way to move forward. Structural Changes are happening as the SEF is being replaced and they are trying to optimize the system but like everything else in Portugal, it takes forever with the complicated Bureaucracy and inefficacy… Now the Resident Permit renewals are automatic (atleast for now), which was impossible in the past without a biometric appointment, documentation and lawyers fees et.al., There is a glimmer of hope and if you live in Portugal sometime in the future, you will have to learn being patient as nothing moves here in a way you want.
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Yes, sir. You are right. But sovereign states have filed cases against other states on behalf of their companies and individual citizens in ICJ. Still what u say is correct. And i agree with ur argument on being patient. But after investing hundreds of thousands of dollars and still waiting for a visa approval for more than a year (without the application moving an inch) doesnt seem reasonable in today’s world.
Have you heard what happened in Bulgaria after investing over a million Euros? You are in a much better place with your investments are very well protected and you atleast have a legal recourse and a genuine chance to fight. Compared with ICE and UKBA … SEF is way better in a treating humans like humans but way inefficient and buried inside their own hole of bureaucracy.
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So true on Bulgaria, rented apartment, traveled there twice, I’d invested 1M, waited the year, technically qualified for citizenship and they just canceled the program on me only weeks before my final interview. All the effort and costs wasted.
Immediately Switched to Portugal, wish I’d done it in the first place.
I’ve been waiting 15 months for my PT Pre-approval (I’m a June 2022 application), it’s a pain but it’s only draw back is time, and anyway it’s a 7 year commitment, so if it’s 8 or 8.5 doesn’t make a big difference. The main thing is I have faith in the program and the rule of law, which after my Bulgaria experience is the most important part !
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With all due respect, the example of Bulgaria does not justify the delays in GV processing anywhere in any other country (including Portugal). Transparency, efficiency, adherence to timelines and pro-active communication go a long way in success of any government initiative. At the end of the day any sovereign country including Portugal can do what Bulgaria did and there is little as individual I may be able to do about it. As is the case even now. But where there are examples like Bulgaria there are many other examples (even in Europe) where the process is less time taking (the programs may come with different investment amounts, requirements and benefits). It is just an objective evaluation on my part. You may still choose to disagree.
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Received pre-approval today for sponsor and dependents.
Sponsor applied Dec 28, 2021
Dependents April 8, 2022
Will update the google form later today.
Finally!
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Congrats; this is the first pre-approval in this group since a month
Congratulations! Can’t wait to to see the first June 2022 approval after they put December 2021 to bed!
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A good sign for sure! But the saga of Portuguese bureaucracy continues, I live in a country where I was able to get the police certificate in minutes and the sad part that there are no appointments at the Portuguese embassy to attest the certificate!!! there are no appointments open, and the consulate services do not reply to emails, phone calls, letters, and even walk-ins approach, so my agent cannot get a date to have the attestation completed.
It’s funny that a friend of mine has just received their residence permit in another country, and their lawyer apologized on behalf of that country’s ‘slow bureaucracy’ as it took 2 weeks of wait since the application and 2 hours queueing at their local version of ‘SEF’ 
I guess they never heard of PT GV 
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What country? That sounds amazing
I think it was somewhere in the Southern Europe, non-EU.
Got pre-approval on 15.09 for myself and 2 kids. Wife still pending.
My application was on 28.12.2021. Kids and wife were later in Feb-March 2022 timeframe.
I still can’t believe this finally moved forward!
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Looks like SEF has returned from summer holidays!!!
So many pre-approvals 
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A friend went for a Residence Permit in a Balkan country. Immigration is handled by the Ministry of Police, there is no equivalent thing=“SEF” nor appointment needed. You walk into the immigration section, wait in line, applications are assessed on the spot, you pay the fee at the counter, a receipt is printed telling you to come back in 2 weeks for the residence card. Any missing documents will be raised at the counter, or answered by your lawyer. A former communist country.
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Another dear friend went for a permit in a former communist, now Schengen country. Initial document gathering took one month, card issued in one week. No appointments, no “SEF”.
Which countries are those, for we maybeinterested?
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