Is it a suitable time for starting the GV recently?

Has anyone started a golden visa recently? Is now a suitable time?
I heard that there will be some improvement on the GV , but I don’t know what the real situation is?

There is much talk of improvement, and some small positive changes have been noted, but I would still advise to monitor the situation for the next couple of months to see if truly meaningful changes to processing times would ensue.

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The two main improvements are: (1) the new system/timeline for approval, and (2) the citizenship clock supposedly starting at payment of DUC if your application is finally approved.

With respect to (1), Roman is correct that a “wait and see” approach may be best. As of now, I have not heard of any forward movement (I am not the closest to this, so I should not be taken as an authority on this or, for that matter, anything). I believe the scheduling of appointments was to start on January 15th but, two weeks later, we have not had any reports of board members being scheduled. I am hopeful, but cautious.

On (2), this is a little tougher to judge. As far as I am aware, the final regulations on when the clock starts have not been issued and are overdue (again, not an authority). While most people believe it starts from the payment of the DUC, and there seems to be some confirmation of that, I don’t believe that is in writing anywhere. In the absence of written confirmation from AIMA, I don’t know that I’d want to rely on that in making the decision to pursue the GV.

When making your decision, try not to be too influenced by people who might have a stake in you applying as they may tend to view things over-optimistically. It’s a lot of money, work, time and emotional energy. Only you can decide if your situation and desires merit doing the GV process. Regardless, good luck to you in your process.

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I just submitted and paid for my application yesterday. Despite the long delays, I decided to move forward. My primary motivations for starting ASAP, rather than waiting, were:

  • No matter what, it will be a long process. Getting in the queue sooner rather than later seemed prudent.
  • Justified or not, I was worried that a possible increase in Americans seeking the GV would cause Portugal to adjust the program. Perhaps they would increase the investment amount or even eliminate the program.
  • The USD is rather strong right now, making the investment amount ‘cheaper’ than historical exchange rates. (I got 0.97 Euro per USD)

Will things improve? Maybe. Will they get worse? Maybe. Overall, I felt that trying to time the program would be difficult.

Hope this helps!

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It all depends on your personal situation and reasons for applying.

The program is legitimate but extremely backlogged. The government is trying hard to clear the backlog by June 30th.

If your goal is to live in PT asap then look at other programs the D7 or D8 (passive income or digital nomad). If you can’t spend the required time for those programs and 7 days/year is what you need then there are no alternatives for any EU country.

If you’ve decided to move ahead with the program and are just deciding on when then you may as well start and get in line. They recent changes should streamline the process for new applicants as well.

There is no chatter about eliminating the GV and in fact the current minority government is GV friendly (I believe this is the party the originally created the program). That having been said, when the previous government changed the law, it took the better part of 10 months for it to become law so it’s unlikely you’ll wake up on day and the program will be gone.

I like your approach. It was exactly how I was thinking in 2019. Then in 2020 I made a move and my application was submitted in May 2020. I have been in the process for 5 years and all I can say that set your expectation low and submit the application as soon as possible. Don’t be stressful if process takes longer than expected. Patient is key. Let’s see if I will be able to submit the citizenship’s application in a few months and how it will deliver a result after 2-3 years. We all need lots of lucks to finally get the passport in hand!

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Another true story has just been freshly shared here.

It is a typical example of a “dead end” situation when you are in GV’s process. Have a right mindset and keep praying!

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One improvement we have seen this year, is that for those who did biometrics as they already had them scheduled, they made their payment for their card at the appointment and received it a few weeks’ later. This is a big change, as the wait post biometrics could be 2 years +.