Many immigrants hear one sentence at home long before they walk into a bank in Portugal. On episode 8 of Imigrantes de Sucesso, Gonzalo Perez, from Chile, says his parents repeated it from the time he was small: try to have your own house. They themselves, he says around 1:02, still rent.
His biggest achievement of 2025 fits in a phone call. When the bank approved the mortgage, they called. In the family, everyone cried — the moment is near 1:01. The house is ours. That sentence carries the weight, for someone who emigrated and for someone who still pays rent.
This page follows only that moment. Luís Rondow, on episode 5, describes renting in Porto: under 500 euros in the center, a two-bedroom at 1,000 euros, the rent no longer fitting the salary. That is a rented home, and it stays outside the mortgage.
imigrei.pt does not lend money. Minha Terra organizes the paperwork so an immigrant can reach the mortgage conversation with the bank better prepared.
Quando o banco aceitou o crédito. A casa é nossa.
1:01:46
His parents asked, from the time he was small: «Tenta ter a tua casa.» Around 1:02:05 they still rent. When the bank approved the mortgage, they called. At 1:01:46: «Na minha família todos choraram.» The house is ours. Gonzalo treats that phone call as the biggest achievement of 2025.