Immigration

The United States could learn a thing or two from Portugal when it comes to immigration.  I have been living in Portugal for a little over a year now, and although there was a fair amount of paperwork (some of it a bit silly) I was able to achieve a Residence Visa simply by showing that I had enough money deposited in a Portugese bank to cover my living expenses for the term of the visa.  There were other requirements, (health certificate, criminal background check, etc) but basically, showing that I had the financial means to live here was all that I really had to do.  Ironically, the most difficult part of applying for the visa was actually something that the United States makes very difficult...  In the United States, the only official government body able to provide a criminal background check is the FBI.  Presumably, this is something that could be done by typing a few keys into a computer at the local sherifs office, and yet, I had to send $18 dollars with a copy of my fingerprints (taken, at the local sherifs office) and then wait one and a half MONTHS for the FBI to do it.  It's plausible that the G-Men at the FBI then do something much more intensive then typing a few keys into a computer.  Plausible, yes, but it seems more likely that they are just slow, inefficient, or incompetent (or some combination of the three).

So, legal residence was not difficult to obtain, and why should it be?  I'm here, spending money in the local economy.  I don't have the right to work, I'm basically just a long term tourist.  Why wouldn't a country want as many of those as it could get?  And now, we have made an investment into property, and with luck we are going to start a business.

Opening the business will require a change in status for my visa, fortunately, Portugal provides an Investment Visa for this purpose.  Additionally, there are incentives such as reduced taxes for foreign investors which is useful since the United States is one of the few countries that require full tax filing REGARDLESS of residency (creating a interminable headache for all Americans living abroad).

Falar Português?

Learning Portuguese is proving to be a little harder then anticipated, but it's coming along.  Although similar, Portuguese is considered more difficult then Spanish because there are more vowel sounds.  It is also proving difficult to practice the language because English is common, and it is easy to fall back on when I should be forcing myself to speak Portuguese.  There are free language lessons for legal residents sponsored by the European Union.  In fact, since my classes are at night, they even provide a small allowance for meals; so, I am in effect being paid to go to class.  My ability is improving quickly, but I still have a long way to go.