Hundreds of applicants for Portugal’s Golden Visa Program have been left in limbo due to the long waiting times required to obtain such visas.
Long visa processing times have led some applicants to regret their decision to invest in Portugal in exchange for acquiring a golden visa, Schengen.News reports.
Nationals of China are among the top beneficiaries of Portugal’s Golden Visa Program, according to September’s statistics provided by Portugal’s Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA).
The same revealed that in September 2024, 306 permits were issued to Chinese nationals. However, some Chinese nationals are disappointed with the excessive waiting periods for Portugal’s Residency by Investment Program.
A Chinese national, Renhai Wang, told Bloomberg that three years have passed since he applied for Portugal’s Golden Visa Program, but yet he has still not received a response from Portugal’s immigration agency regarding his status.
Suing Portugal Over Golden Visa Delays
An immigration lawyer, Bettino Zanini, who has won several cases against Portugal’s AIMA, told Bloomberg that about half of his 50 golden visa clients have sued Portugal due to long processing delays.
Portugal’s Golden Visa Program offers residency to foreigners, provided they invest in one of the options offered by this program.
The figures from AIMA recently revealed that the agency authorised a total of 2,901 residence permits.
The top beneficiaries of this program in September 2024 were nationals of the United States (567 issued permits), China (306), the United Kingdom (234), Brazil (219), and India (199).
However, the agency didn’t provide any details related to the specific investment types for the Residency by Investment scheme.
According to Global Citizens Solution, last year, Portugal registered €70,895,742.39 in Golden Visa investments.
The same revealed that of the total, €50,076,668.39 were registered through the real estate investment option, and €20,819,074.00 in capital transfer.
Earlier this month, Immi Daily reported that in 2023, the Golden Visa Program of Portugal saw a record surge in the number of residence permits issued.
Particularly, an increase was registered in the number of family applications, or 83 per cent year-over-year.
Source: https://schengen.news/long-visa-processing-times-have-left-hundreds-of-portugal-golden-visa-applicants-in-limbo/
