People are acting like the new Portuguese nationality law means the end of the world, but honestly, it’s not all doom and gloom.
First of all: Golden Visa = Residency by Investment. That part hasn’t changed. You still get residency rights, Schengen access, and permanent residency eligibility after 5 years. The famous 7 days/year stay requirement is still there.
What changed is the path to citizenship, not residency.
And to be fair, part of this reform was also meant to fix years of delays, bureaucracy, and administrative chaos. Anyone who has actually dealt with AIMA/SEF knows the system desperately needed reform.
Portugal has been incredibly good for my wife and kid. The country isn’t the villain here. It’s a democracy trying to rebalance immigration, integration, and an overwhelmed bureaucracy, like half of Europe right now!
Honestly, if someone wants a Portuguese passport, waiting longer and actually building some connection to the country doesn’t sound outrageous to me. Citizenship should probably mean more than just parking capital somewhere for a few years.