Portugal’s immigration office to replace paper applications with digital forms to speed up processing times

Portugal’s agency for Integration, Migration, and Asylum (AIMA) has decided to replace traditional paper applications for the government’s Golden Visa scheme with on-line digital forms as part of a new system that should speed up processing times and reduce waiting lists.

It comes as the total backlog for immigration visa claims of all kinds (including investment visas) stands at around 42,000 applications awaiting processing.

According to the news agency Bloomberg, dozens of investors have filed lawsuits over long delays of two year or more just to book a mandatory biometric testing appointment.

AIMA hopes that its new processing system will ensure that applicants get biometric test appointments within a maximum of 90 days after completing their online application forms.

Portugal’s Golden Visa, technically called the Residency through Investment scheme (ARI) enables investors to get a residency permit in Portugal in return for investing in certain areas such as investment in tech funds, job creation or capital transfer. It used to have a property investment route which was scrapped by the previous socialist government led by Antonio Costa (Now President of the European Council) because it was argued that the scheme artificially inflated property prices, making it difficult for ordinary middle class Portuguese to find affordable homes in Lisbon, Porto and parts of the Algarve.

Prior to the changes, Portugal’s Golden Visa scheme had been one of the most popular entry routes into the country for relocaters and investors.

Since being launched in 2012, Portugal’s Golden Visa scheme has raised over €7Bn for Portuguese State coffers and has given work to thousands in the estate agency, legal and accounting professions in Portugal.

The scheme is particularly popular among US, Brazilian and Chinese investors.