I don’t want to say I told you…
Is anyone honestly surprised that as soon as the first (maybe it’s 2nd or 3rd) cohort of GV-ers is ready to get PT citizenship after ‘completing’ its investments and having done its time requirements, the GV citizenship pathway appears to be teetering?
Did this age well… 
Almost three years since the date of this post, I still don’t have my residence card…
Three years. What an absolute shambles this has been for many here. 
I guess I can never really wonder why my wife and I are leaning towards non-renewal and leaving Portugal. How did it get to this…
Man, I really feel for you. This whole process can be incredibly frustrating—I totally get it. It took me three years the first time around, and then my lawyer actually suggested I cancel and reapply… which added another 3.5 years. So yeah, nearly 7 years all in. 
I know how disheartening it gets, especially when you’ve built hopes around a timeline that keeps slipping. But just wanted to say: hang in there. It can work out, even if it’s a painfully slow road. Sending you and your wife hugs and strength—you’re not alone in this.
Thanks for your kind words. We have been decidedly more fortunate than most here. Our court summons was successful as we had moved here a few years ago. There are people that are 3-4 years in without pre-approval or biometric appointments. I can’t imagine what that must be like.
Our biggest challenge is trying to weigh up the pros and cons of continuing on this path towards naturalisation. Truth be told, with all the uncertainty surrounding this program, including the potentially punitive changes to the fee structure for investment path renewals, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to justify remaining both on the ARI program and in Portugal altogether. Life here hasn’t been as easy or relaxing as we thought it would be, and the lack of stability and certainty over these proposed legislative changes has compounded the problem for us.
All signs point to yes
Please bro, just send a few more funds, our lawsuit will certainly work this one out, just send a few more Euros and you’ll get the citizenship, we promise.
Oh sure, our lawfirm with our divine intuition guarantees the law will magically change — and GV holders will get citizenship in a year (only if you pay us another 20K)
Our law firm now offers Portuguese blood transfusions — instant citizenship guaranteed! 
What’s your law firm’s name? Wonder if I can get instant citizenship for donating blood? 
Also happy to donate one of my kidneys to get the PT citizenship if kidney from 3rd world country is acceptable for them… 
Sunny Isles & Legal Lies
and my real estate firm - Sandcastle Realty
As of the day of the vicious vote, the shameful speeches on the floor of parliament, and the glib, direct reiteration of the government’s policy to treat ARI’s as badly as possible, I have pivoted from the “not a scam but badly managed” camp to the “it is a scam” camp.
I don’t mean it was always a scam, but now it is.
Also, if the law that moves the goalposts for current residents is not stopped, I’ll add “flagrantly disrespects EU values and the Constitution–not a rule of law state” to my criticisms. Caveat emptor.
Iniciativa Liberal, et tu Brute? You have joined forces with the epitome of illiberalism. You hypocrites! You cowards! I will never forgive you.
Wife and I kinda feel that after everything we’ve been through with this program, we don’t even really want citizenship. It feels tainted. We’re both prepared to cut and run, but we don’t want to lose our friends and our home. This sucks.
Edge international lawyers
We’ll do the same; we’ll accelerate our liquidation and departure.
Give it a little time. You’re really mad / frustrated / whatever.
Let it play out. Yeah it’s frustrating to keep waiting keep waiting, but there is an endgame here, either it goes to court or gets promulgated, and it shouldn’t take all that long one way or the other at this point.
If it turns out to only be 5 years after all the machinations… yeah, ok it’s tainted, tied to a bunch of tainted memories, but it’s still useful. And who knows what will happen down the road.
DrNBC, I have enjoyed and valued your contributions in NG.
Your last note here seems to give a glimpse into the feeling of betrayal and loss of optimism that you once had. Its painful. I am not as far in the process (have ARI, invested in funds in 2021, and bought an apartment in Braga but still live in the US), and am also mightily frustrated.
At 63, I had hoped for an easier time before I could enjoy carrying a PT passport. But, really, for us the primary beneficiary of this journey would be our now-24 kiddo for whom we wanted to provide the benefit of geographic and political diversification. I hope that we still can.
We, too, entered this journey hoping for an alternate life/location. I expected some bumps and delays, and not to this degree.
You mention friends. A house. Neighbors. Each of those is worth more than the idiots playing for their audience. I still longingly gaze at idealista listings for what i hope to be my final place.
Please don’t let some chuckleheads in Parliament with short sighted politically motivated moves kill off your vision. There are still cards yet to play out. lets see what occurs.
I recall a saying:
The Western man: “Dont just sit there, DO SOMETHING”
The Eastern man: “Dont just do something, sit there”
I hope to have the composure to sit watch a while longer, attentively and awarely, but let the process work a bit longer and let the corrections that will likely come, come. While this is faux latin, it fits now: “Illegitimi non carborundum” (colloquially, “dont let the bastards grind you down.”