Only naturalized? There are also many from Goa in India who are eligible for Portuguese citizenship by descent, because Portugal used to claim Goan territory and extended citizenship to those born there.
Not revocations, but Hungarian citizens not born in Hungary are also ineligible for ESTA because of Hungary’s generous citizenship laws.
I should correct that. Not just naturalized but also Goans who would technically be considered born Portuguese had their ESTAs revoked.
I don’t know if any other birthplace has been targeted. So far only Indian born people on reddit who are Portuguese citizens (born as goans, or naturalized through residence) have chimed in.
It happened in the past but seems has now been reversed https://hu.usembassy.gov/news-hungarys-status-in-the-visa-waiver-program-vwp-fully-restored/
In early 2021, DHS revoked already-issued ESTAs of all Hungarian passport holders born outside of Hungary and continued to deny new ESTA applications to Hungarian applicants born outside of Hungary. In August of 2023, the Biden Administration reduced the ESTA validity period for Hungarian travelers from two years to just one year, while also limiting ESTAs to a single use.
It’s good to know that the policy can be reversed. At the moment though it doesn’t seem like any announcement has been made to this effect. Just some people on reddit saying they had their ESTAs revoked today.
Only Indian born PT citizens so far. Lets see if any other reports come to light in the next hours/coming days. It’ll probably make the new policy clearer even if there is no announcement about it.
Not to get into it or anything, but as frustrating and heartbreaking as Portugal’s immigration policy is right now, what’s happening in the US at the moment is far worse.
Webinar by Caiado Guerreiro about these changes and their plans.
Thanks for posting this. I used CG to get my GV in the first place (application Nov 2021; court summons Nov 2023; card issued Apr 2024) but I seem to have fallen off their mailing list as I wasn’t notified about this webinar.
CG is rarely mentioned in this forum, maybe because they’re pricey, and the reason I used them is that they came as part of a package of services from my original agent who was in India. I’m coming up for renewal in April 2026 and we were planning on applying for citizenship in Nov 2026 so let’s see what happens.
“Germany has a requirement of 8 years” except they recently reduced this to 5. They’re using outdated info to justify the increase to 10 years…
Though I normally dislike AI output pasted into this forum, this post is a useful reminder:
For every PGV shill who’s built a business on our misfortune and those who will come after, for every five Chega bigots, for every ten misinformed Portuguese who blame PGV for the housing crisis, there are dozens who have no stake in this.
For us, this is a hill we may die on and a potential turning point for Portugal; for many others, including the law and its interpreters, it’s just another case.
Even if you disagree (and yes, even I, Hippopotamousse, am more optimistic about our chances than this ChatGPT reply), it’s still useful to read analysis that treats one of the most consequential cases of our lives like any other.
And France still has 5 years. Ireland has 5 years. Why not mentioning those?
As usual, they are very active in marketing and promoting ….genius!
Does anyone (who is willing to share it) have the Jorge Miranda opinion itself (vs this report about the opinion)? I haven’t been able to find it anywhere online.
Here’s the original, and an English translation I prepared using DeepL:
Miranda20250702-PT.pdf (6.8 MB)
Miranda20250702-EN.pdf (1.4 MB)
Muito obrigado! The lawyer in me needs to read the original. (And, who knows, maybe it’ll help me prepare for the new civics test.)
Also consider ChatGPT only answered the question posed, which is whether the court will strike down the changes in general.
The question I’m more interested in is whether the court will impose a transitional regime to protect legitimate expectations. I’m fine with the new rules applying to future residents.
We spoke with CG in the beginning as they were recommended by GCS. The quote they gave us was considerably more expensive (>20%) than firms not recommended by CGS or GGV. They most likely pay the intermediaries a “finders fee” for recommendations, which is then passed off to the applciants.
Also, we are due to renew in April and our citizenship application month is September, so we’re in much the same boat as you. ![]()
Advocacy page coordinated by Global Citizen Solutions to lobby for GV holders’ interests. Removes a bit of the friction of taking action.
Also interesting that migration firms are finally doing something, anything, to stand up for us publicly.
Don’t know when they launched this site (this whois suggests ‘keepthepromise.pt’ was only registered yesterday??), but it should have been months ago… it’s too late now for most of what they suggest.
We encourage all stakeholders—residents, legal professionals, civil society organizations, and concerned citizens—to engage constructively with policymakers and advocate for fair transitional or grandfathering provisions that protect those already on the path to citizenship.
Sure write to the President if you haven’t already, but the bill arrives on his desk in just a few days and could be “dealt with” by Friday! (one way or the other)