China remains the largest source of applicants seeking to invest in Portugal in return for permission to live there, known as the golden visa programme, Lusa reports.

The Portuguese news agency says data given by the Portuguese Foreigners and Border Service indicate that of the 55 foreigners that invested in Portugal last month in exchange for permission to live there, 11 were Chinese.

The report says 4,503 Chinese are among the 8,413 investors from outside the European Union that have now been given permission to live in Portugal in return for investing there since the programme was launched.

Holders of golden visas have invested 5.1 billion euros (about US$5.5 billion) in Portugal, most of it in real estate, since the golden visa scheme began in October 2012, Lusa says.