Portugal's immigration authority AIMA was working through a backlog of outstanding court decisions in May 2026, slowing residence permit issuance for new applicants. The delays are landing on Americans mid-application at a moment when the U.S. population in Portugal has never been larger.
Canada's business immigration system has effectively closed as of May 2026. The Federal Entrepreneur Program shut down January 1, the Federal Self-Employed Persons Program is paused indefinitely, and the Start-Up Visa is processing at more than 10 years with 46,200 applications queued. The Quebec Business Class, the last active federal route, sits at 78 months per IRCC's May 12 update.
