Alice says...

a couple of things.... so, a few people have asked for me to share some pictures of lisbon and such-- and you're right, i really should-- except that my camera stopped working properly within a couple of weeks of being arriving, and i have no idea where to go to get it fixed around here.  actually, i don't even know if it can be fixed! :( sadness... i'll scrounge through to see what photos i have taken and maybe selina has some that we can post so that you can see how beautiful it is here :) likewise, if anyone is reading this and you are from lisbon, any advice would be appreciated!!


in the meantime, get this.... earlier this week, selina and i went to an immigration services place that is free, and offers all sorts of information for migrating here, even language courses and such. it is a fairly well organized place with for the most part rather helpful people. (i say this because we have been warned on numerous occasions of the bureaucracy around here, and the lack of support for those wishing to become residents. so whether it was because i had low expectations, or whether the service was actually that good is up for debate, but i think i'm happy either way :) the best part, however, was the lady who explained to us the process for applying for residency.  she said that all we need is to have a work contract, and basically pay taxes here for 6 months, and then we are eligible to apply for residency. of course there are other things required to fill the application, like police checks and health checks and all these things, but it's all pretty basic. however, she then said, that as tourists, we are here legally, but are not legally allowed to have work contracts under this visa. BUT if we get one anyway (through our own business!) we can still apply for residency after 6 months. likewise, if we don't renew our tourist visas, then when it expires, we'll become illegal anyway, and just have to hang out for a few more months and we can still apply for residency because we'll still have been paying taxes since it is automatically included in everything you purchase anyway.


....we were sitting there thinking the whole thing over when she handed us a couple of sheets of information and said: "this is not really legal. but everybody does it, and here are the instructions and requirements." as in, the government actually has documents telling us that this is what is required of us, even though it is not legal, and then they will look at our applications!!?! how crazy is that??  the system actually tells you to do it this way, AND your application will be looked at faster than if you try to migrate here through family sponsorship, or if you try to apply from your own country for residency.  i just can't believe it. welcome to portugal people, no wonder so many expats want to come here to live, with rules like that!


i'm still baffled.


and on that note, it's time for brekky.

xxxx