Have you ever seen anywhere a visa application fee returned in case of a rejected visa?
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This is exactly why the US is pressuring Caribbean CBI programs to add extra checks - e.g. if you have ever been denied another CBI, they might refuse to issue you their CBI on that basis.
Which all makes sense if you want to prevent corrupt Russian oligarchs from skirting the rules. Itās unfortunate that it will also target some innocent Russians who have nothing to do with corrupt oligarchs.
Also I donāt know how well SEF can handle changes of citizenship. I think someone mentioned in another post their lawyer said they would have to restart the entire application from scratch. So e.g. if the rules have changed, the new rules will apply to your application.
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There are some CBIs with no extra checks and perfectly suitable for RU/BY nationals. And also we assume the case of a straighforward applicant here with no adverse history of multiple refused CBIs 
Wrt SEF rules - you know sometimes lawyers say funny things. My initial GV so-called lawyer gave me plainly incorrect advice 6 times (I counted) before I have had enough of him.
As far as I have seen, there is no SEF rule against changing citizenship while on temporary residence stay in PT. I cannot imagine a legal basis on which this can cause denied renewal.
Tommigun, I sure hope you are right. Iām a dual citizen and have contemplated renunciation but my entire GV process is predicated on the citizenship I am thinking of shedding. It seems to me that at the very least SEF (or whoever replaces them) could require a police background check from the other country. I contemplated trying to get my other passport linked to my GV application somehow but I havenāt pressed the issue with my attorney for fear of sending my application into a bureaucratic black hole. So my current plan is to not raise the issue until I am finally in possession of the card
@nrm I am not sure at what stage you are at with your GV, but I guess you know that the renewals are currently done entirely online, so no police check to be supplied. The original biometric appointment requires police check from the country of origin (birth) OR from the country of residence if residing there for more than 1 year.
(Note for dependants it would be āANDā instead of āORā in the same line).
As you may see, the country of citizenship (nationality) does not have any bearing on the police check.
Thanks. Makes sense. I had biometrics (in Lisbon unfortunately) on Feb 7 this year. Probably wonāt get final approval until next February is my guess, at the rate Lisbon SEF is moving
You have more capital than anyone in Europe? Might I suggest you simply buy Portugal and give us all citizenship?
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Unfortunately, I am not in Portugal as I cannot get my first GV yet. I suppose it may be possible. But the very fact of them having to do so is unequal treatment, if others donāt have to do it. My point is not about other available options (I am looking into them and know that they are possible), but about the very fact that one needs to resort to them while meeting all the requirements that Portugal itself has set, with only reason for that being the āwrongā nationality. Having said that, I am genuinely thankful for peopleās kind suggestions for a way out.
Your caustic question makes sense as it conceptually reveals another very important observation. I want to ask you: how many people in Europe are willing to buy a house in a provincial European country for a price starting from 500,000 euros (I donāt want to specify the exact amount), without relying on loans or mortgages, and actually move there, being ādeceivedā by the opportunity to build something better around themselves?
Or does your sarcastic comment imply an attempt to say, āyou are not successful enoughā? That is another form of discrimination and manipulation, and I hear you.
In a broader sense, if I were to answer your question, yes, myself and my friends, like others, represent a more valuable entity in the context of having established mechanisms and understanding the concepts of creation, entrepreneurship, job realization, and opening up opportunities. We no longer make attempts or waste time proving our worth where it is not appreciated.
If Portugal claims not to have any particular bias in issuing visas, then why do our cards cost 5000+ euros if they are made of the same plastic? Why do people of other nationalities receive their cards within a month, while we find ourselves in a situation where it is impossible to even obtain adequate legal protection because Portugal has decided itās easier to dissolve the agency responsible for all this chaos than to comply with the decisions of its own courts?
The fact that Portugal, along with several Eastern European countries, fails to see this outright speaks only to the true level of human potential development in these nations. It is quite surprising considering Portugalās centuries-old wisdom.
War has become a test for many, not just individuals but also countries. Strangely, Ukrainians, Russians, or Belarusians do not question each other in Portugal. Yet, Portugal has questions for them.
I assure you that you would not want to find yourself in a situation where your child (born in Portugal and being a citizen who has never set foot on the territory of the USSR or the CIS) is told to provide documents proving no connection to Russia when applying to college, simply because their Ukrainian mother was born in the USSR and has a Slavic surname. The same could happen with other nationalities in the future, including yourself personally.
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I believe @ohbee was simply teasing you for the following statement (emphasis mine):
If taken literally, you would likely be at the top of this list.
Itās not my intention to detract from your other argumentsāI agree that non-sanctioned Russians should be treated equally (dis)respectfully as any other GV investorābut I did also find that statement quite funny.
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Perhaps itās time to create another thread for this recent discussion, and keep this one strictly for the formal updates on GV matters?
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Iāve moved it to a separate thread now 
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just to make sure you are aware that you can reside in Portugal legally while waiting for your GV, in case you applied prior to 31 Dec 2021. Not only reside legally but have the right to work and access to any and all public services.
This has also been tested 
Thank you! Yes, I am very well aware of that. But believe me, what you may not have tested is being a Russian waiting for a GV - and it is not funny at all. I know several people who have used this route and they now regret it. They cannot use their bank account normally (in case you didnāt know, all our accounts are semi-frozen - one can pay so the government could keep getting fees and taxes, but topping up is very limited; and our accounts are also capped - so for example should I decide to sell my apartment I donāt know how I would get the amount in excess of the cap); they cannot get credit cards, there are difficulties with other areas (eg. renting a car - I guess this may be connected with absence of a Portugal-issued credit card which is needed to do that). That is just to name a few. Opening a new bank account is de-facto not possible for a Russian without a residence permit. They cannot travel anywhere as Portuguese permission to live in the country is not recognized officially as a permit to move around EU. If they go to EU there is a risk of deportation for overstaying on the Schengen visa in case someone checks their passports. They can still fly back to a non-Schengen country without a chance to go back as a new Schengen visa is not going to be granted, plus they will have a record of its violation. For someone like me whose work requires business travel this is not acceptable, plus I donāt look forward to being constantly worried about having enough money with a non-functioning bank account. Believe me, Iāve researched the matter and have made various arrangements to be able to emigrate. Portugal is taking longer, but itās not the only country and it proved unreliable in the current situation for things like investments, bank account, savings etc. I am still giving it a chance but other arrangements are underway, too. But thanks anyway, I appreciate your sympathy.
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2 posts were merged into an existing topic: GV holders/applicants using Investment Funds - raising a possible issue in the current draft law
Precisely! I was shocked to hear Europeās wealthiest person posts on the forum.
You seem a very smart and sensitive person. I am sure you got the point that he was making. We (investors) are all together in this, with the contracts being breached and promises not delivered - I mean those of us whoāve invested and did not get anything or less than was promised. He raised a valid point of prejudiced treatment that heās experienced, and of efforts not being fairly recognized or appreciated. Would you agree? Also, English may not be the first language to everyone here (not for me, for example). Why donāt we think together what we should do to defend our rights? This draft law is pushing us into the direction of what we havenāt signed up for.
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It sucks for PT to change the deal on you, or anyone. I donāt like the precedent it sets, albeit caused by a fairly unique ā I hope; war is bad ā set of circumstances.
But I do not see how PT could get around EU sanctions of Russia or why they would try. The EU doesnāt want huge sums of Russian money flowing into (or out of) it and ARI is a good mechanism for that, so it is an unsurprising move by PT. At minimum, you deserve your money back, but Iām not sure how they can accomplish this at the moment. (I am also not optimistic SEF would refund anyoneās money, but thatās my general pessimism toward SEF talking.)
Hard to imagine how this will end favorably for Russian people trying to immigrate to the EU until / unless Russia stops being naughty in Europe. For which you have my sympathy. Nothing about the situation is good.
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Just to clarify. Do you mean a GV applicant can live in Portugal for more than 90 days even before pre-approval?
Thank you. I only wish EU and Portugal were consistent in applying the sanctions. What is happening is something else - it is authorities and companies (e.g. banks) going well beyond what is stated in the sanctions and using a blanket application of cancel culture-type measures. As we have discussed, nowhere do the current sanctions prescribe such treatment of ARI, and even the EU recommendation is just that - a recommendation which still needs to find its way in the EU legislation in the manner consistent with prevailing principles and laws. What banks do by way of limiting personsā right to use their own property is also beyond sanctions with authorities closing their eyes on this (only account caps are sanctioned, but not the rest). Something to think about for everyone. Today it is done based on nationality, and tomorrow?
Once again, my purpose is not to complain by any means and I fully support the sanctions that are targeted at stopping the war and happy to accept whatever inconveniences. What I am seeing is different though, I see sanctions being used as an excuse to implement measures that are unjustified, counter-productive and set a dangerous precedent for everyone. I am sharing these observations to bring attention to the arbitrary application of rules and laws that is happening right now, in EU, with a focus on the new Portuguese draft law and potential risks it can bring if it tramples on some fundamental principles such as the inviolability of contracts, protection of private property, equal treatment, and inadmissibility of retroactivity.
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