I Was Denied Entry At Ezeiza

[steveinbsas]

I hope this thread gets back and stays on topic. If someone wants to start a new thread about being mistreated by immigration authorities in other countries, I'm all for it and will add to it, but those stores are quite irrelevant to this one.

I'm not sure how many dozens of perma-tourists are affected by reading the info in this thread (as well as the one about getting back into the country), but they all have to be concerned and are no doubt craving as much information on the subject as possible.

 

[Peony54]

My overstaying process went so swimmingly that I am shocked to see people are now having trouble.

I moved here in 2011, had no reason to leave so stayed until May this year without going in and out constantly and getting stamps. In May this year I wanted to head back to the UK, so instead of go through nerves at the airport of will they/won't they, I went to the immigration office and paid the fine there about 9 days before I left (I think the limit is 10 days). That was my 300 pesos paid and a form to be signed at the airport. At EZE on the day I went to the booth, he barely glanced at the paper and waved me through.

Coming back two weeks later I thought that possibly the fact I overstayed a good three years might cause me problems. The guy asked me what I was doing here (in a completely non aggressive or judgemental way), I said I was here to get married, he seemed delighted by this and told me good luck and in I went. In fact the whole process was very serene, my bags were absolutley loaded with "stuff" and I just sailed through.

Anyway, perhaps things have changed since then, which would be worrying for anyone up to the old tricks. Or, perhaps there are some things to consider (yes, here I go with a it worked for me so may work for you bit).

Did me going to the immigration office before the day of the flight help? Certainly, having the paper in hand resulted in the fellow simply looking at it with a glance and moving me on, it was not at all busy with no line behind me at the airport either. I wonder (to myself but out loud here) whether the fact the paper came from someone else took responsibility away from him so he didn't care.

I guessed that even though I had overstayed 3 years that it helped me more than if I had loads of stamps. I am not even sure they check the date as they look so uninterested, perhaps its the number of stamps they look out for.

Or perhaps it is that they are clamping down on this and I sneaked in during the final days of the good times.

No, I think in your case they let you pass mostly because you were getting married therefore your residency situation would have been fixed.

 

[splattermatter]

This seems fishy to me...

 

[Rich One]

I hope this thread gets back and stays on topic. If someone wants to start a new thread about being mistreated by immigration authorities in other countries, I'm all for it and will add to it, but those stores are quite irrelevant to this one.

I'm not sure how many dozens of perma-tourists are affected by reading the info in this thread (as well as the one about getting back into the country), but they all have to be concerned and are no doubt craving as much information on the subject as possible.

There may be an inside conspiracy resulting in permatourists getting frantic scared and rush to get married, hire an immigration consultant , or go underground

 

[semigoodlookin]

No, I think in your case they let you pass mostly because you were getting married therefore your residency situation would have been fixed.

That may be true, but if that's the case everybody could just say that. The guy was going to put me through anyway I think, he had already engaged in a conversation with me and seemed semi pleased that I spoke a spot of Spanish.

One thing I always try to do when going anywhere official (I did the same when I paid my fine at the immigration office) is either find a young person or a woman to go and speak to. Young people are far less interested in their job in general and are easier to relate to (I am 30), and women are more sympathetic. That's a general rule as not everyone is the same, but it has served me through my life pretty well to be honest. I have waited back in the line at passport checks in other countries for the "right" person to become available for me to go to. I do the same when passing my bags through the machines too. Loitering a bit to see which line/booth/or whatever seems to have more problems is always a good thing to do. Needless to say, avoid that one if possible.

To be honest, I am talking like I am up to all kinds of nefarious crap haha, but I just wanted to re-enter the country really.

 

[ghost]

Chrissie and cohorts have a big bone with the US at the moment and that could be part of the problem. Just plain bad luck is another part. And....judging from the total DickHeads manning TSA stations in the US, you are at the mercy of the lowest common denominator.
Sorry for your problems here but guessing you are out for 5 years.

 

[Crema Americana]

I think the takeaway here is that if you're a permatourist, you should
1. get residency if possible.. or
2. if not possible to get residency, stay off the radar as much as possible.

Too many stamps in your passport doesn't look good. There is debate about whether it's worse to have overstays or Colonia trips... I (and others) have been told by officials that there is a 3 strike limit on overstays... but Colonia trips are risky as well and it seems officials frown on the practice. Argentina is actually quite lax when it comes to immigration, but they seem to be cracking down on 'abuse' of the system.


As for a solution to the OP - if it were me, and I had things of value (or really wanted to give another try into getting into the country) I would head to Uruguay and try to enter by boat. Don't lie, but let them know you have ties in Argentina, are planing your residency, and need to enter. If denied, it's a short trip back. Also arrange for someone to bring your stuff to you in Uruguay should you be denied at the border (which is probably the most likely scenario.) It will also give you another chance to ask about your specific situation. You may get lucky, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Getting a straight answer is difficult here. So many things depend on luck - the knowledge or mood of the agent or whatever the day's daily mandate says. Things change quickly, so I doubt the average consulate worker really even knows what's going on in EZE. Hell, I'm not sure people in EZE even know what's up sometimes.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

a land scam in Chile that fittingly applied the name of a fictional location (the Gulch) from a rant posing as a "novel"

It's always worth issuing a warning about the credibility of a commentator who, inspired by the same hack, appears to be putting together a comparable scam (supposedly not in the vicinity of Bahía Blanca)

 

[pichleres]

Your choices henceforth are:

1) contact a lawyer for information
2) try to re-enter again thru different means, and a different port of entry
3) ask a trusted person to send/transport you the goods/possessions from your apt. asap..
4) Your apartment/contents in it might be next that you lose!

Good luck.

 

[pitipur]

(this is not directed at the OP)

It seems this thread is becoming the "safe" ways to get into the country - i think its been said time and time again that there is no guarantee if you dont have your docs in order. laws are laws, whether or not they are consistently enforced, so if you are one of the unlucky ones, it's worth acknowledging that you knew the risk you were taking, instead of getting mad at the immigrations officer that day. we all know the laws, and if we choose not to follow them, then we must accept the consequences.