The extinction of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) has been carried out with a lot of ink over the last two years, when the end of this service was approved in Parliament. And now it's really official. The SEF was even abolished on October 29th and all its police and administrative functions will now be carried out by other institutions. One of them is the recently created Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum (AIMA), which will be responsible for requests for residence permits from foreign citizens arriving in Portugal.
The Portugal Golden Visa program is still active and accepting applications. However, there were changes proposed to the program that affected the eligibility criteria and investment options. These changes have come into effect and with them the real estate option is no longer available. Currently there are a few new options to invest, but possibly the golden visa funds will receive the vast majority of the new applicants.
There are many reasons why the Portuguese visa scheme is so attractive to investors. With the recently lowered investment amounts, the options for investing have increased. There is also the appeal of the low minimum stay requirements, which allow applicants to live wherever they choose while still staying on track towards permanent residency and Portuguese citizenship.
