Immigration Conundrum

[cosmolat]

Or is it? I'm sure someone here knows better than I

My boyfriend and I have been here since last november. He's gotten his student visa squared away, but I'm a bit confused about how best to deal with my situation. We renewed our tourist visas in february at migraciones, and I have a job starting very soon that will help me secure a DNI once I've gotten through the probation period. In this time my extension will expire. So the question is, do I let the extension expire and eventually go through the DNI process with an expired tourist visa? Or do I start going to Uruguay in May and run the (slight?) risk that the officer will side-eye my extension stamp? There is the option that I pursue a student visa as well, but that still leaves me in the same position: make visa runs while waiting for everything to get sorted, or hope no one blinks at my expired visa as I attempt to legalize my status.

Truly don't know which choice is wiser here - thanks for your help!

 

[ben]

As far as permanent residency is concerned, prior overstay is completely disregarded.

Barring evidence to the contrary, I think it's pretty safe to extrapolate to your case - once you're regularizing your situation, I highly doubt you'll have any problems with prior overstay.

 

[steveinbsas]

So the question is, do I let the extension expire and eventually go through the DNI process with an expired tourist visa? Or do I start going to Uruguay in May and run the (slight?) risk that the officer will side-eye my extension stamp? There is the option that I pursue a student visa as well, but that still leaves me in the same position: make visa runs while waiting for everything to get sorted, or hope no one blinks at my expired visa as I attempt to legalize my status.

If you have a prorroga (extension) from migraciones and you go to Uruguay to get a new 90 day visa, do NOT return before the extension actually expires. If I understand correctly, the Argentine immigration officials cannot "override" a prorroga from migraciones and give you a new 90 day visa. If you go to Colonia the day before the extension expires and return the same day, you will only have one day left when you return.

That being said, when I was getting ready to apply for temporary residency in 2006, it was obvious that my first 90 day visa would expire before I could submit the paperwork for the geezer visa (visa pensionado). When I went to migraciones to get a prorroga I was told that it wouldn't make any difference if my tourist visa had expired when I applied for the visa, but I would still have to pay the overstay fee (then $50 pesos). Since I was already there and the fee for the prorroga was also $50 pesos, I just got the prorroga.

Some things have changed since 2006, but I don't think having one or even a number of overstays or not having a "current" 90 day visa makes any difference when applying for a temporary resident visa. If you meet the requirements, you will get the visa regardless of your current status.with an expired extension.

 

[cosmolat]

Thanks Steve & Ben, that's helpful. I think I'd prefer to stay put anyway - nothing against Uruguay, but the whole visa run thing has always seemed a little sketchy, and if the expired visa doesn't make a difference I'd rather save the Buquebus fee