Weekly update on July 6, 2026: 1,260 ARI investors challenge nationality law change; AIMA task force winds down with 30,000 cases left

1,260 ARI investors file Ombudsman complaint over doubled citizenship wait

On June 30, 2026, a consortium of 10 Portuguese law firms lodged a formal complaint with the Provedoria de Justiça (Ombudsman) on behalf of 1,260 foreign investors holding Residence Permits for Investment (ARI), commonly known as Golden Visas. The complaint targets the recently amended Nationality Law, which extended the residency period required to apply for Portuguese citizenship from 5 years to 10 years.

Lawyer Catarina Almeida Garrett of firm AGPC told Rádio Observador that the ability to acquire nationality after five years was presented as part of the integrated investment package — investors committed a minimum of €500,000 into Portuguese investment funds, accepted a non-habitual residency structure, and relocated families based on that promise. The law change, she argued, retroactively alters the terms under which those decisions were made, breaching legal certainty and legitimate expectations. 'Portugal's reputation has been called into question,' she stated.

The complaint is described as the first pillar of a broader legal strategy. The Ombudsman can refer the matter to the Constitutional Court for a ruling on whether the retroactive application of the new 10-year rule is unconstitutional. Critically, the amended law is already in force but its implementing regulations have not yet been issued — the consortium argues this window should be used to introduce a transitional regime that applies the old 5-year rule to all investors who submitted applications before the amendment, with the 10-year rule applying only to new applicants going forward.

For existing ARI holders, the practical impact is significant: those who planned their citizenship timeline around a 5-year horizon now face a potential 5-year extension unless a transitional regime is established. Investors whose applications have already been delayed by AIMA's processing backlog face a compounded disadvantage — years of administrative delay followed by a doubled statutory waiting period.

AIMA Mission Structure closes before August 2026 — 30,000 complex cases move to regular qu

Secretary of State for Immigration Rui Armindo Freitas confirmed to the Portuguese Parliament on July 1, 2026 that AIMA's Estrutura de Missão (Mission Structure) — the emergency task force created to clear the backlog inherited from predecessor agency SEF — has approximately 30,000 cases still pending a decision. These are described as 'somewhat more complex cases that require analysis or for the applicants themselves to be contacted.' All remaining files will transfer to AIMA's regular processing queue before August 2026.

The scale of the task force's work is substantial: according to government reporting, the Mission Structure issued 525,000 decisions and completed 763,000 appointments. The 30,000 remaining cases represent roughly 5–8% of the original backlog volume. The task force formally concluded its main activities on December 31, 2025, with Porto's office continuing to support unresolved cases into 2026.

The transfer to the regular queue carries a practical risk for waiting applicants: the regular queue handles both new applications and pending cases simultaneously, without the dedicated backlog-clearing focus of the task force. Applicants with outstanding document requests from AIMA should respond before the August handover — cases that transfer with unresolved information gaps will require a new request cycle in the regular queue, adding further delay.

The government has separately committed to clearing the historic ARI (Golden Visa) application backlog by the end of 2026. Applicants whose cases originated under the old SEF system (submitted 2022 or earlier) and remain undecided should check portal.aima.gov.pt for any pending document requests and address them immediately.

AIMA Renewal Portal now handles EU permanent residence applications from July 1

Effective July 1, 2026, AIMA has added EU permanent residence to its Renewal Portal at portal-renovacoes.aima.gov.pt. EU nationals can now apply online for a permanent residence certificate under Article 16, and family members of EU nationals or third-country nationals can apply for a permanent residence card under Article 17. Document submission and fee payment are handled entirely through the portal.

The portal replaces the previous contact-form submission route for these document types. Applications submitted before June 30, 2026 via the old process do not need to be resubmitted, though applicants may choose to file a new request through the portal if they wish. Where biometric data collection is required, AIMA will notify the applicant directly; previously scheduled in-person appointments remain valid.

The portal's current scope also covers standard residence permits expiring between July 1, 2025 and October 31, 2026, and ARI (Residence for Investment) permits that expired from February 22, 2020 through October 31, 2026 — making it the central renewal channel for the majority of active permit holders.

Government cites INE data: new foreign residents fell to 59,113 in 2025, lowest increase i

Minister of the Presidency António Leitão Amaro stated on June 30, 2026 that INE (National Statistics Institute) data published on June 22 confirm immigration is now 'controlled.' New foreign residents registered in Portugal totalled 59,113 in 2025, compared with 326,090 in 2022 and 275,929 in 2023 — the smallest annual increase in nine years. Foreign nationals now represent 14% of Portugal's total population of 11,424,031, with 1,597,539 foreign residents recorded.

The minister attributed the decline primarily to the abolition of the 'manifestação de interesse' (expression of interest) mechanism on June 3, 2024 — two months after the current government took office — which produced a 60% drop in new entries in the second half of 2024. The government framed the Mission Structure's backlog-clearing work as a parallel achievement, enabling criminal record verification and accurate population accounting.

For Golden Visa investors, the policy context matters: the same government that is tightening general immigration flows has also extended the citizenship waiting period for ARI holders. The statistical narrative of 'controlled immigration' signals that further restrictive adjustments to investor-track pathways remain politically viable.