The victims are mostly Chinese nationals who believed they had acquired the properties as part of the golden visa programme.
Fake luxury home sales in Greater Lisbon net group 10 million euros. Nine people arrested

Context & Explainers
The Golden Visa (Portuguese: Autorização de Residência para Investimento) is Portugal's residence-by-investment program, created in 2012, that grants non-EU nationals a residency permit after qualifying investments such as certain real-estate purchases, capital transfers or job-creating projects. It usually provides Schengen travel rights and a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship after five years, though eligible investment types and minimum amounts have changed in recent years.









