Yes it would be great if the 5-year clock did begin at pre-approval. I hadnāt heard that before but perhaps there have been some recent changes. If anyone knows anything further Iād be keen to hear.
I have sent a message to my lawyer to see if they have any insight into likely timings. Not sure if theyāll bother replying to that though!
The law is very clear on this point (unless it has changed in the last year which is unlikely). i suggest you confirm with your lawyer and ask them to put this into writing along with some reference to the actual law. They will not be able to do so.
Congrats, do you mind giving me your lawyers contact details? Mine says SEF has stopped all GV processing till theyāre clear of the new investment for 2022. I think thats insane as a few people are still getting their approvals.
Dear Raivikas, do you know what they refer to by above? Does the new investment refer to new investment scheme of the GV program introduced in 2022 or does it refer to the SEF budget?
I understand from my Lawyer that SEF has stopped accepting new application. This is simply to clear the huge backlogs they have on their table for pre-approvals. Thereafter, biometrics are also held up for all pre-approvals from June 2021, this is expected to start again soon but no specific date given. This is actually a good news for all who are awaiting their pre-approvals. At the same time, biometrics at various consulate offices are also in discussion for sometime. If that happens, backlogs for biometrics will also be cleared with a very good speed. We are all hoping that with the new govt, which is also very much in favor of this program, the usual speed of processing will resume and by the end of this year all the pre-approved applicants till 1st Qtr 22 will be cleared with the GV card.
Re biometric appointments, and having just got the pre-approvals, my lawyer also said that from now we can book appointments at SEF, and adds, as soon as the āagendaā (calendar? booking system?) opens, which I take to mean that they are not currently taking bookings.
The āagendamentoā is empty, and weāre all waiting for the next splurt of SEF invitations to come through by email.
(WARNING: SEF does not like sending emails to applicants directly. They only email the lawyers. So if you donāt have a lawyer or your lawyer sucks, then make sure you check your āagendamentoā regularly every other day or so. You will only have 10 days to book your biometric once it opens).
My feeling is that the next round of biometric invites will start in July, purely based on the pre-approvals paceā¦
Ok thanks, good to know. I have never seen my ARI portal as the lawyer handled everything, so I donāt have any logins or anything like that. Am not in any direct communication with SEF. I suppose (and hope) the lawyer will be checking the āagendamentoā regularly. Luckily for us the legal side is a staged payment process whereby we pay only at pre-agreed stages - submission of application, then biometrics appointment, then issuance of GV permit. And then renewal 1 and renewal 2. So Iām banking on the lawyerās incentive being to to see us right through all the stages. In any case Iāve been really happy with them so far. But I will follow-up with them on this point nevertheless.
My worry however is that the biometrics appointment date that finally comes up coincides with kidsā exams and we have to re-schedule and and more months waiting time!
There will be some options to choose from when the schedule opens for you, so make sure to ask your lawyers to find smth suitable for you rather than just go and grab a slot without your āapprovalā.