At least 35 investors of Portugal’s Golden Visa Program have filed a lawsuit with the Tax Administrative Court in Lisbon, urging for the issuance of these residence permits amid ongoing delays.
Some of them claim they have been waiting for four years for such cards, therefore deciding to sue the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), Schengen.News reports.
The lawyer Catarina Zuccaro told Politico that these investors are being treated with disdain.
Lawyer Zuccaro told Politico that Golden Visa investors, being subject to processing delays by AIMA, complain that the lack of documentation is harming their families after their children are interested in pursuing their studies in Portuguese universities and are ineligible to do so.
According to her, up to this point, the Administrative Court had been rejecting lawsuits against the migration agency AIMA, filed by Golden visa applicants on the grounds that there was no urgency in issuing these documents after many of them do not live in Portugal; therefore they need to spend only a few days a year in this country.
But now, the lawyer says, “the understanding is starting to change.”
The Golden Visa Program of Portugal offers foreigners residency in exchange for financial investment.
The most sought-after option of this scheme was the real estate investment option, which granted residency to those who invested at least €500,000 in the purchase of real estate in Portugal. However, it is no longer effective.
Hundreds of Applicants Left in Limbo Due to Excessive Waiting Times
Long visa processing time for foreigners interested in Portugal’s Golden Visa Program led some applicants to regret their decision to invest in this country in order to benefit from the Residency by Investment Program.
Besides, earlier this month, an immigration lawyer, Bettino Zanini, told Bloomberg that about half of his 50 golden visa clients had sued Portugal as a result of excessive waiting times.
When successful, these lawsuits can force AIMA to issue a decision on a golden visa application in about three months instead of three years. An Immigration Lawyer, Bettino Zanini
According to figures from Global Citizens Solutions, in September 2024, the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) authorised 2,901 residence permits for investment activity.
Source: https://schengen.news/35-golden-visa-investors-sue-portugals-aima-amid-excessive-permit-delays/
