Immigration office in Buenos Aires

[kingz25]

Hi therePlease can someone tell me how I can extend my VISA here without having to jump the border?And can anyone tell me if I will have a problem coming back on a 1 way ticket? As I leave August 7th and have a return back here on OCT 1st.And, also where I can find information about longer term VISA requirements... Thanks K

 

[pescador]

Good subject, one I'm sure many of us have fended for ourselves via. trial and error... usually leading to needless frustration. The 'migraciones' website won't help you as it doesn't provide any useful info for foreigners. ( I know right, "shocking".. this is Argentina after all and they could give a s**t about your needs)
Just be sure to bring copies of EVERYTHING to migraciones. You almost always need a couple copies of your passport (every applicable page / entry & exit dates). Listen to steveinbas, go as early as possible, I think they open at 8 a.m. or something. Renewing is the easy part. Applying for an extended visa / work visa gets a bit more complicated. I have been strugling for a long time with retrieving various documents from the U.S, long mail times, always being told, "You need this.. this.. and this " Sadly, I've thrown in the towel (I know, I gave in to the frustration) Even though I was offered a job, the whole process of obtaining my CUIL / DNI / and work contract proved just too much for my taste. On top of all that I would be earning just 25% of my normal U.S. income (good times) So, i'm going back to good ol U S of A this July to fend for myself in an equally struggling economy. Good luck to you though. I hope you have a thicker skin and more money in the bank than I did. Here are some essentials for the process ..Suerte
-Official police report from the U.S/ notorized / not just from the City of residency / then notorized and translated in Argentina
-Police report from Argentina proving you have not compiled a record / fingerprints
-Original birth certificate / then translated and notorized in Arg.
-little passport sized photos (just have like three ready)
-two copies of your passport (all pages)
-proof of your local in BA (domocilio) shows you have a residence here
-work contract (if applicable) Precontrato de Trabajo

 

[soulskier]

So might argue it is easier to hire a company to do all the work for you. Sure it costs, but in theory it gets done.

 

[pescador]

True.. that would be easier for someone else to do the work for me... But help me out here, because i'm a bit confused... Does this "fascilitation service" actually retrieve all applicable documents one would need from country of origin, and then go wait in line while you sleep in ?? I tried to do it all the old fashioned way. By myself: waiting on long lines, mail times, always being told i need something different than the last time. Finally i said, 'enough is enough', I want to be here with my girlfriend, but there is a dead end around every corner. So I am flyin back to take my chances in a wavering U.S. economy. At least I know I am legally able to work.
(for the record) I realize it must be a bag of headaches trying to get a green card and/or U.S citizenship.. However, the system which fascilitates the process will outline quite clearly what is required ( and they will likely have someone there who speaks your language (pick a language / land of the free)

 

[soulskier]

My expierence with the company was they told me everything Ineeded, submitted it, and we were always able to cut lines. Yes, we had to apostille and get rediculous stuff (Aids test, police report, etc), but they told us what was needed and that was it. I think it was worth the money, especially since we don't live in BA. I post here though, thanks for having me!

 

[Matty]

I have heard all sorts of "easy" tales and nightmares about "inmigracion here, but I guess just like any lot, there are the lucky ones and the not-so lucky ones.
pescador, I know for a fact that it is the likes of you that the US would like to have as greencard holders (card is not actually green, now) or even become a US citizen. Your dedication, perseverance and positive outlook about work is what made USA great in the years past. You and your enthusiasm for hardwork is what USA need right now. There is work to be had there, you just have to know where to look. The economy will recover, USA is resilient, if nothing else.
Goodluck to you and your family; and girlfiriend is lucky to have one man willing to make all these sacrifices to ensure a better future. Hard work always pays off. Stay focused and I am rooting for your success. Ciao, Matty.

 

[RWS]

Quoting "steveinbsas": ". . . . If you don't speak Castellano, you may indeed get with the feeling that the folks at migraciones don't care about your needs. It isn't their job to speak or understand anything we say in English. . . ."
Amen to that! Perhaps it's the gradual (but no less foolish) introduction of a poor bilingualism into the United States over the past thirty-some years that wrongly induces some Americans to believe that all the rest of the world speaks English, too.
Even a badly accented, ungrammatical stab at Spanish will elicit both patience and co-operation from civil servant and shopkeeper alike. After all, why are we here if we're not willing to be integrated into this Spanish-speaking society?

 

[markus]

Quoting "steveinbsas": ". . . . If you don't speak Castellano, you may indeed get with the feeling that the folks at migraciones don't care about your needs. It isn't their job to speak or understand anything we say in English. . . ."
Amen to that! Perhaps it's the gradual (but no less foolish) introduction of a poor bilingualism into the United States over the past thirty-some years that wrongly induces some Americans to believe that all the rest of the world speaks English, too.
Even a badly accented, ungrammatical stab at Spanish will elicit both patience and co-operation from civil servant and shopkeeper alike. After all, why are we here if we're not willing to be integrated into this Spanish-speaking society?

I totally disagree. We all know that English is the most widely-spoken language in the world. So, I think the guys at migraciones should be required to speak it. This is NOT some local shop we're talking about. It is MIGRACIONES, which is a public office specifically aimed at helping foreigners. I'm sure their employees are intelligent enough to realize this... They know their job is about dealing with foreigners, so why not show a little more tolerance?

 

[steveinbsas]

Quoting markus:
Quoting "steveinbsas": ". . . . If you don't speak Castellano, you may indeed get with the feeling that the folks at migraciones don't care about your needs. It isn't their job to speak or understand anything we say in English. . . ."
I totally disagree. We all know that English is the most widely-spoken language in the world. So, I think the guys at migraciones should be required to speak it. This is NOT some local shop we're talking about. It is MIGRACIONES, which is a public office specifically aimed at helping foreigners. I'm sure their employees are intelligent enough to realize this... They know their job is about dealing with foreigners, so why not show a little more tolerance?

Markus, are you serious? Yes, people throughout the world speak English, but look at the table and map on the following web page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_where_English_is_an_official_languageThe only two Latin American countries where English is the official
language are Belize and Guyana. Otherwise, the official language in all sovereign nations south of the
Rio Grand (the "new" southern border of the US after the war with
Mexico) is Spanish.
Spanish is the official language of Argentina, but Argentine law does not require those seeking residency (or renewing a tourist visa) to speak the "official" language, and the employees at migraciones are indeed very tolerant of foreigners who do not speak Spanish! I've never heard of anyone being denied a visa or an extension because they don't speak the national language. Not speaking it well may make things a bit more difficult, but anyone who has that problem can go to migraciones with an interpreter. I did.
Yes, Argentine migrciones is a "public office" but it's primary purpose is not "helping" foreigners. It's purpose is to enforce the laws and keep undesirable (insolvent or criminal) foreigners from entering the country as well as monitor the ingress and egress of foreigners who are legally here. That's all. The vast majority of foreigners trying to emigrate to Argentina already speak Spanish and are from other Mercosur nations. The increase in the number of English speaking immigrants to Argentina is relatively recent and very small by comparison. Those who only speak English usually don't stay very long anyway. They find the Porteno men rude and arrogant and the women very cold...and then they complain about it here on this forum. Too bad. The more I learn to speak castellano, the better the quality and greater the number of my Argentine friends.
PS: Many of the Argentines in the local shops AND at migraciones DO speak English. As RWS (correctly) posted: "Even a badly accented, ungrammatical stab at Spanish will elicit both
patience and co-operation from civil servant and shopkeeper alike."
On most occasions, I have started a conversation in a BA shop by stating, "No hablo mucho castellno, todavia." (They love the "todavia" as it shows you are trying to learn.) I continue in the idomia nacional as best I can, and quite often the person I am talking with will start speaking in English when I reach a block and ask, "Como se dice esta en castellano?" Try it. Hopefully, it will work for you. It has for me, many times, including my most recent visit to migraciones, when I finally went on my own.It would be interesting to see what reaction an employee at migraciones might have to your post. Como se dice "who and where do you think you are, sir" en castellano?

 

[RWS]

Clearly, I completely agree with "Steve in Bs.As." One niggle, though: despite Spanish's still being the predominant language in Latin America, it and English don't constitute the full list of official languages for nations south of the Rio Grande: we must add Portuguese (the official language of Brazil), Dutch (Surinam), French (French Guiana), Guarani (Paraguay, jointly with Spanish), and -- at least if Evo Morales should have his way -- several others.