Sorry I don’t know, I didn’t ask this as my children will be way off that age.
Oh really! I didn’t know that, thought it was slow for all cases. That is great news if so, as means we’ll have an answer on his strategy pretty quickly.
On the citizenship process website it mentions that for dependants it takes 2-4 months but as I mentioned earlier I am hearing it is taking longer.
@Beanieskis could you ask your lawyer to clarify if the timeline for minors is also 2-3 years?
I was told a few years ago that the parents’ naturalization takes around two years but then the subsequent application for minor children of those now-citizen parents was faster (maybe 6 months) but that was a few years ago. So it is possible everything has slowed since then.
It is less than parents but lawyers do not give more info than what is on the citizenship process portal ( 24-29 months for adults 2-4 months for dependants). As I said I heard that it is taking longer but nothing specific. There were some delays last year in issuing the birth certificates but this was resolved 3-4 months ago but not sure if it was a one off resolution or a permenant solution .
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Hi do you mind sharing your overall experience with the GV process? Funds/lawyers that you recommend and what to look out for. We are very early in the process.
Hi Ali
That is a huge question, and you can probably get a really good feeling by reading through a number of the threads on this forum.
Funds - I can’t recommend the fund I’m in because (i) I’m involved with it professionally too and (ii) it’s now closed and as it’s real estate, no longer permissable. I would have a search of this forum for other recommended funds.
Lawyers - the law firm I’m using isn’t a typical immigration firm and they don’t generally take on clients solely for visa applications I think - it’s more of an additional servce for existing clients. But again if you search this forum you’ll find lots of lawyers mentioned.
General advice - the application process is currently taking years. I’ve just got my residence card around 2.75 years after applying. However those who applied only 2 months later than me are stuck without pre-approval - they may have another 2 to 3 years before they get their cards. The good thing is that the 5 year clock for citizenship application now starts at point of application, however you do need to have a valid residence card by the time you apply.
This is not the visa for you if you want to move to Portugal in the short term - there are better options out there. However, if your goal is an EU passport without moving to the EU full-time for at least 5 years, to my knowledge there is no other option. For this reason I don’t regret applying for the GV, and I’m not in a hurry to get the passport. There are many who do regret it, particularly if their advisors led them to believe the application process would be fast. So if you’re going to do it, go in with full knowledge that it could take years to get your first card.