The reference was to 5 years of legal residence. If you applied before January 2022 you can legally reside in PT, as we have both done ( you March 22, me April 22) - refer here:
So in this case it’s not dependant on pre-approval / approval timelines.
(For those applying after Jan 2022 there may be points in the application process where they can commence legal residence but I didn’t discuss, since in April 2022 I was not pre-approved and not relavant.)