Changing VISA Application - Rentista to Residencia por Reunificación Familiar

[pevans1405]

Hi All,

Hoping someone has some experience in this or can provide some help.

I'm currently in the process of applying for the rentista visa (since Aug 2025!) and am wondering how easy/ how to go about changing the application to Residencia por Reunificación Familiar through Unión Civil Convivencial. My partner and I have been living together in BsAs for over 2 years now (i have not overstayed at any point). I originally applied for the rentista as i didn't meet the reunification visa criteria and was advised by an immigration lawyer and by migrations itself that my investments overseas could be used to remonstrate sufficient money to live off for a rentista visa (a lump sum rather than passive income). However, they appear to be putting more and more scrutiny on the funds and my income from them, and it's making me nervous that they may reject it based on the grounds that technically it's not fulfilling the requirement - understandable but different from the advice I received.

Based on the above, and that the reunification visa appears to be a lot more straight forward, I would like to change my application. I believe it would look cleaner this way than wait for a rejection and then apply immediately for another type of VISA. My partner is from Lanus, so we would get the Union Convivencial there.

Any advice? Thanks in advance.

Phil

 

[Clem]

Hey there. I don't know how it works to change your applciation, but for the Rentista visa, I think you need to show both liquidity, AND that the origin of the funds is legal. There's an article that details the requirements for Rentista visa, it's only a few weeks old, so up to date. https://www.mhlegalhub.com/post/argentina-rentista-residency-guide

Hope that helps

 

[Alby]

Hi All,

Hoping someone has some experience in this or can provide some help.

I'm currently in the process of applying for the rentista visa (since Aug 2025!) and am wondering how easy/ how to go about changing the application to Residencia por Reunificación Familiar through Unión Civil Convivencial. My partner and I have been living together in BsAs for over 2 years now (i have not overstayed at any point). I originally applied for the rentista as i didn't meet the reunification visa criteria and was advised by an immigration lawyer and by migrations itself that my investments overseas could be used to remonstrate sufficient money to live off for a rentista visa (a lump sum rather than passive income). However, they appear to be putting more and more scrutiny on the funds and my income from them, and it's making me nervous that they may reject it based on the grounds that technically it's not fulfilling the requirement - understandable but different from the advice I received.

Based on the above, and that the reunification visa appears to be a lot more straight forward, I would like to change my application. I believe it would look cleaner this way than wait for a rejection and then apply immediately for another type of VISA. My partner is from Lanus, so we would get the Union Convivencial there.

Any advice? Thanks in advance.

Phil

I changed categories (from Rentista to Pensionista) AFTER having been awarded the Rentista and holding it for a year; in other words, when it came time to renew the Rentista, we instead put in a Pensionista application. It sent Migraciones into a tailspin, since they hadn't seen something like it before. They took seven months to work out what to do, time that was lost time to me on my road to permanent residency, and worse, once they did issue the Pensionista, the three-year clock to PR was turned back to zero.

If you are still waiting for them to consider and issue your residency (i.e., you are still on endlessly rolling precarias), then my experience is not directly comparable. BUT, I suspect you are proposing something that they won't have a procedure for, and you will find that you cannot just change category mid-process. You will probably have to start an entirely new application, as if the current one never existed, and have the new one evaluated on its own merits. The mechanism for having two applications live in the system would have to be resolved; perhaps either they would have to cancel it in their system at your request, or you would simply have to not renew the current precaria when it falls due.

 

[Cassiopeia]

Hi there, if you already have a RENTISTA RESIDENCY and you change to FAMILY REUNIFICATION you will reset all the time accumulated under the RENTISTA CATEGORY towards PR. At the beginning, the Rentista Category was barely used, and later on, after the conflict Ukraine/Russia, it was abused. Therefore, it triggered much more scrutiny and reduced the approval rates. Several immigration supervisors even refused to sign off approvals because they were scared of being involved into situations of bribe. My honest advice, go for the family reunification if you can still choose, and NEVER in LANUS, always marry in the City of Buenos Aires, and ALWAYS use the Immigration Headquarters (SEDE CENTRAL) as your immigration venue to file any immigration applications. Never use a provincial branch, otherwise, your case will be delayed 5 times more.