Your statement assumes the Portuguese government is behaving arbitrarily, when they have already proven they are behaving deceitfully.
The government enticed applicants’ money into the country with promises of a 5-year path to citizenship, then they changed the rules retroactively and gave applicants no recourse. Then, to squeeze those applicants for fees, they flash-tracked residence applications that they had previously intentionally sidelined.
The next step in realizing the previously-articulated AD party platform is to remove the low-presence citizenship pathway entirely. Moving the Goalposts on Citizenship again - #41 by PTbound. With the TC decision, there is nothing to stop them from implementing this retroactively.
PT’s path to citizenship on low physical presence is a pipe dream peddled by fraudsters.
Fool you once, shame on them. Fool you twice, shame on you.
Some legal systems offer protection to investors from retroactive changes. In fact, protection from retroactivity is a bedrock principle of bilateral investment treaties, hundreds of which have been enacted around the globe.
Assuming all governments and legal systems are equally deficient and arbitrary is misguided.
All governments can be awful, but some are definitely worse than others.
That’s funny- to assume there is a government out there NOT acting deceitfully! All governments are corrupt, all are only in their position for greed and taking advantage of the peasants. All are lying and stealing and not here to help you or me. Show me a better option if I want a residency card without spending over 6 months a year in that country and allows dual citizenship. Please let me know what that option is.
While I can appreciate new applicants’ sense of excitement and optimism over the prospect of applying, getting their first cards, spending time in country, etc., it seems inevitable that the harsh realities of this program will manifest for everyone involved, at some point.
I genuinely wish everyone the best on their individual journeys. It will likely be a 17-year odyssey fraught with anger, frustration, broken promises, heartbreak and mendacity, which in the end will probably feel somewhat pyrrhic if ‘successful’. We’ve been on this path for 5 years and it has definitely been more tragedy than triumph.
Best of luck to those starting out and continuing on.
We’ve just spent a month at the PT house we bought 3 years ago, but can’t actually live in (I need to travel for work in various EU countries, so can’t blow past my 90d overstaying in Portugal).
I do vividly remember the excitement of buying this place, applying for the ARI, starting to learn the language, meeting the neighbours, etc.
But 3 years on and still no approval/cards… and maybe no Citizenship for another 10-15 years… that GV excitement has mostly been replaced with “My God, what a pack of lies this has been, at every turn.”
3 years and no approval. Every time I see this it never fails to surprise/disgust me. We were the same as you, excited, a bit terrified, hopeful, lots of emotions, most were positive. Now? That’s a different story. Excitement is now dread. Hope has become apathy. Frustration and regret abound.
We feel desperately sorry for everyone who feel misled, mis-sold and miserable as a result of the myriad failings of this program.
My hat off to you! I admire your ability to absorb and endure portuguese dishonesty and portuguese bureaucracy. Not sure where you come from & what your background is but your ability is pretty unique .
USA- perhaps the most despicable government on the planet! Perhaps it’s given me an overly warped opinion of governments in general (but probably not).
Be careful… different doesn’t mean better. What superficially may seem attractive might not be the best place to raise children, if you want to instill in them values that will help them succeed in life.
Yes off topic. I’d like to remove myself from this thread but can’t seem to figure out how. Too many on this thread are unbelievably negative and/or a know it all that can’t be reasoned with so I’m removing myself from the conversation. I simply needed to comment on someone calling me part of a problem who doesn’t take into consideration other’s needs and situations. I wish you all the best in your struggles.
Every time I see this it never fails to surprise/disgust me. We were the same as you, excited, a bit terrified, hopeful, lots of emotions, most were positive. Now? That’s a different story. Excitement is now dread. Hope has become apathy. Frustration and regret abound.
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