Arriving to Bariloche Nov 6. Looking for immigration advice.

[Kiarga]

Hello all, my first post here but I've read alot. I am determined to make the Bariloche/El Bolson area of Argentina my permanent home. I spent a couple months there in late 2019 and have just been waiting for COVID policies to end so I could get back and start the process. I'll list my basic info here so anyone in-the-know can respond with what they think would be my best way to move forward;

I am a US citizen. I have personal savings that is sufficient for my foreseeable lifetime and would be willing to make investment(s) in Argentina if needed. I am arriving with a Hague apostille for my US birth certificate, a recent copy of my FBI background report and banking histories. My legal history shows non-violent misdemeanors from ten years ago. I have a COVID vaccination card and am generally very healthy. I'm single but don't want to count on marriage as a path towards citizenship.

I do want to try and make sure all my time in Argentina counts towards getting permanent residency/citizenship. I could stay in Argentina during the whole process, but if temporary departures won't slow things down, it would be best if I could travel back to the USA at least a couple months per year. Tax implications of various immigration strategies are much less important to me than the time-investment of those strategies. I want to pursue the fastest and/or simplest method, not the cheapest one.

Thanks in advance for any replies

 

[Alby]

There are several useful and recent threads that are quite related to your question. If you have found them yet, you will see that there are two pathways: temporary residency leading to permanent residency; citizenship. They are two separate systems, although starting as a temporary resident seems to be a way to get an initial foothold from where you can then jump across into the citizenship system with a more solid case.

In part, it will come down to whether you actually qualify for any of the temporary residency categories. Do you know what they are? Do you think you currently qualify for (or could organize yourself to qualify for) one of them? Do you need more information about any of them?

If you do not currently fit into a residency system category, then you are limited to the citizenship system and there are several threads on this website that deal extensively with what that system involves, how long it can take, how to go about it (and how much it costs).

 

[zensailor]

in response to your question and synopsis ...... get a good attorney.... they are very reasonable, and whatever your best option is determined to be, it will be accomplished much quicker and easier with a competent ''sherpa''.

 

[Alby]

What I am getting at is this: break the problem down into its component parts. Your options are:

1) Use the migration system operated by Migraciones (Direccion Nacional de Migraciones--DNM) to first obtain temporary residency for three years and then convert that into permanent residency. That path has a clear timeline and can be achieved without a lawyer (but if you have plenty of savings, you're well advised to pay a lawyer because the system and DNM are mediaeval, particularly in some residency categories).

2) Avoid Migraciones, enter the country as a tourist and then immediately attempt to access the citizenship system. The timeline is less clear, legal representation appears to be obligatory. There are plenty of threads on this website that will give you good information on how this option can work.

3) Use the migration system first to obtain temporary residency and then to immediately access the citizenship system.

To repeat, it all boils down to whether you have any claims to a temporary residency under the various categories Migraciones offers. If you don't know yet, look into it (or ask here). If you do know, and the answer is "no", jump straight to option 2.

 

[steveinbsas]

Hello all, my first post here but I've read alot.

If you have not yet read the following thread, I am sure it will provide useful information:

Obtaining citizenship (with rentista visa, but interrupted)

Some great answers on the forum here, but after extensive searching couldn't find an answer to my question; I'm hoping some of you can help me. Background: I'm a foreigner, eligible for the rentista visa, which will be my first step: getting temporary residency and moving to Argentina next...

baexpats.org

I am a US citizen. I have personal savings that is sufficient for my foreseeable lifetime and would be willing to make investment(s) in Argentina if needed. I am arriving with a Hague apostille for my US birth certificate, a recent copy of my FBI background report and banking histories.

Money on deposit in the bank or your "banking histories" will not be sufficient to qualify for the rentista visa. Your funds, properly invested in CD's that mature regularly and provide a stabe and uninterruptable passive income.

The investor visa would be much more complicated. It would require a substantial investment as well as creating "employment" for people who most likely would end up suing you.

It should be possible to set up a "trust account" with a US bank that can pay out $2000 USD per month (or however much migraciones requires at the moment) as the CD's mature. You should only have to fund it one year at a time.

In theory, you "should" be receivig the monthly income for at least two months before you apply at migraciones, but you might want to apply as soon as possible after your arrival (after you get the Argenttine criminal report) so you can get it all staretd before your FBI report expires. Hopefully, you already have the Apostille/official certification of the FBI report.

You will need to doccument the passive income with proof that you cannot touch the funds during the term of the residency (one yearat a time). Notarized letters from the trustee, a bank officer, and perhaps a CPA can have the appropriate bank statements attached and receive the Apostille. They will have to be "legally" translated in Argentina after you arrive.

Last I heard, the birth certificate is no longer required for temporary residency

My legal history shows non-violent misdemeanors from ten years ago.

This will likely be the best reason you will have to hire an Argentine "immigration" lawyer.

I dumped the Argentine laywer my GF insisted I use when I realized he really didn't know much about migraciones or how to get the required doccuments that I needed to"prove" my passive foreign income. I acutally wrote (word for word) the letters from my US lawyer and bank officer that I subbmitted (successfully) to migrationes when I applied for the rentista visa.

I do want to try and make sure all my time in Argentina counts towards getting permanent residency/citizenship. I could stay in Argentina during the whole process, but if temporary departures won't slow things down, it would be best if I could travel back to the USA at least a couple months per year. Tax implications of various immigration strategies are much less important to me than the time-investment of those strategies. I want to pursue the fastest and/or simplest method, not the cheapest one.

Temporary residency based on passive foreign income (aka the visa rentista) requires you to be in Argentina at least six months of the year. Those months do not have to be consecutive, so a couple months outside the country whenevver you like won't make any difference...as long as the passive income continues without interruption.

 

[Aztangogirl]

I used Celano and Associates. They took care of everything. But then, A pensioners visa is one of the easiest to get. I am a permanent resident now.

 

[Kiarga]

Thanks for all the replies and all of the previous info from other threads. I've contacted a couple lawyers mentioned by the users on this site. Everything I've read here will help me make sense of what these lawyers say. Once I have some definitive outcome then I'll share here so that it may be useful to others. Great community.