Olá Reader,
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If you haven't checked out the first few issues of this lil' newsletter, you can find them on our profile HERE.

Sheesh, Storm Kristen really clobbered the country. A big construction crane in Coimbra collapsed (luckily with no injuries). Lots of wind damage up and down the coast. The government even brought in about 1,000 army personnel to help clear debris and start repairs. Major flooding in the Setubal region, south of Lisbon! The Portuguese Parliament has launched into serious discussions on how to plan for severe weather events such as this in the future.

This issue's focus:

Update on the immigration law question; and an update on why visa applications are taking so long right now

What's up with that vote on the visa reforms?

If you've been researching Portugal since sometime last year, chances are you heard something about the Portuguese parliament voting to make some big changes to the immigration laws; particularly around visas. The biggest change was increasing the citizenship requirement from 5 years to 10 years. A big deal for people using Portugal as a "gateway to EU citizenship", but less of an issue for people who want to make Portugal their new permanent home.

That change to the law got put on hold until the end of the 2025... and then it got put on hold AGAIN. This time it's on hold until the outcome of this month's presidential elections.

Portugal’s 2026 presidential election has gone to a runoff between António José Seguro, a centre‑left Socialist backed by nearly all progressive and green parties, and André Ventura, the far‑right populist leader of Chega. Seguro’s social‑democratic, pro‑EU platform contrasts sharply with Ventura’s hard‑line stance on immigration, crime and minorities, and current polling plus endorsements suggest Seguro is strongly favored to win the 8 February second round.

If Seguro wins, the presidency is more likely to slow or soften a shift to 10‑year citizenship than to accelerate it, but Parliament will still be the decisive actor and the outcome remains genuinely uncertain.

Practical implications for you (if you are a resident or planning to be)...

• For now, plan around the 5‑year rule, because legally that is still what applies and the 2025 reform has stalled.
• Even with Seguro as president, Parliament could eventually pass some kind of extension (for example 6–8 years with strong grandfathering) that he might sign if it is constitutionally clean and politically more balanced.
• The worst‑case scenario of a fast, clean jump to 10 years with weak transitional rules is less likely under a Seguro presidency than under a head of state fully aligned with the hard‑line version of the reform, because Seguro would almost certainly send such a bill either back to Parliament or to the Constitutional Court.

Visa application processing times

If you are currently waiting for an AIMA appointment or have been trying to schedule a VFS appointment to submit your application, you might have noticed that you have to look at dates several months out. And that's frustrating. Here's why that's happening:

Portugal’s immigration system is still working through a very large backlog inherited from the old SEF agency and struggling with capacity and structural issues, which feeds directly into how scarce VFS appointments feel from abroad.

AIMA and the internal backlog

• SEF was formally replaced by AIMA (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo), which took over with an estimated 300–400k pending immigration files (all procedures combined).
• Reports into late 2025 said roughly 400k cases were pending, including residence permits, renewals, family reunifications and golden visa files, creating delays of a year or more in some categories.
• AIMA announced an “action plan” and task force to clear the SEF backlog by around mid‑2025, and more recent updates suggest that over 90 percent of inherited cases have now been decided, though some categories (notably investors and certain residence routes) still face long waits.
• To keep people legally covered, the government has repeatedly extended the validity of expired residence permits; current guidance extends many residence titles through at least April 2026.

Why it feels so hard to get VFS appointments

VFS Global handles the front door for many Portuguese visas (D‑visas, digital nomad, study, etc.), and several factors combine to make appointments extremely scarce:

• Demand surge vs limited slots: Portugal’s popularity for digital nomads, retirees, students and remote workers has risen sharply, while consulates and VFS centers did not scale capacity at the same pace. Applicants now routinely report waits of several months just to find a slot.
• Unpredictable release patterns: VFS centers for Portugal often release new appointments without a fixed public schedule, in small batches that disappear within seconds once released, making “normal” checking almost useless.​
• Technical and structural bottlenecks: High traffic, anti‑bot measures, and manual control of slot release windows all limit how many users can book at once, contributing to the perception that “nothing is ever available.”
• Third‑party “slot hunters”: Applicant reports suggest that some intermediaries or agents monitor VFS systems intensively and grab appointments as soon as they appear, then resell them; people sometimes pay hundreds of pounds/euros just to secure a date.
• Policy changes feeding demand: The phase‑out of the “manifestação de interesse” (in‑country regularisation route) and tightening of entry channels mean more people must start with a proper visa at a VFS center, further loading the system.

How this ties together for applicants

• Internally, AIMA has been trying to push through the backlog and is issuing record numbers of residence permits, but the scale of inherited cases plus staff and IT constraints means waits are still long for many.
• Externally, VFS acts as a narrow funnel: limited daily slots, erratic release patterns, and high demand make the initial appointment the hardest step for many would‑be residents.
• Even once you secure a VFS slot and visa, you may face another wait in Portugal for the AIMA biometrics/first card appointment, though there are signs biometrics scheduling has restarted and is slowly improving.

In practice, this is why people planning a move to Portugal now often need to budget many months just to get a VFS appointment and several more months for their first residence card once in the country. And it also helps if you have a good team helping you along the way... a team like Let's PortuGo!

If you're seriously thinking about moving the Portugal this year, you need to get started yesterday. And if you want help with the process, why not schedule a free consultation with us? Click the blue button at the top of the newsletter and we'll see you in Portugal!

That's it for this week! Stay tuned to your inbox for more of The Let's PortuGo Newsletter...

Até breve (see you soon),

Rich & the Let’s PortuGo Team

P.S. Want more tips or resources? Follow us on Instagram @letsmovetolisbon or visit letsportugo.com