RodalfoWalsh
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Well after 6 years in Argentina on tourist visas with 1 expired temporary residency and a citizenship application in the middle I finally ran afoul of DNM.
On the advice of bajo_cero and others on this forum I had decided to forgo visa runs and last year paid the overstay fee after 11 months in the country.
That was December. This past wednesday found me en EZE bright and early, hung over on last night's sleeping pill and a 787's worth of human fumes. Working my way through the immigration line, I end up with the one guy who looks less excited to be there than I do. That was the beginning. As he flipped through my passport a bunch of times, noting the overstays and the tourist stamps, I started to get nervous. He asked me what I was doing in Argentina,I mentioned that I was enrolled in a local university (true) and that I had had problems not entirely of my making in renewing my tourist visa (true) but based on advice given on this forum, I decided not to mention my citizenship intentions. I was very careful not to lie.
Well, after 10 min of that, I get pulled into the back office to talk to the supervisor. The supervisor listens to my story and asks me for my passport and says she's going to try to sort it out. She asks me to take a seat in a small side room which looks like a police interrogation room. Her supervisor comes out and they talk while huddled over a computer.
At this point I start blowing up our good barrister's phone. I think I called his office 3 times and his cell 5+. (Sorry if you were sleeping). I also started calling a few other attorneys just to make sure I got into the country. At this point I wonder out of the room to ask if I can help with the process and the head honcho lady says that there is no more information needed, that I have to go back to the US. I see a document on the computer screen with a big read header and my passport number being typed in.
Right about this point Bajo_cero gets back to me, we exchange messages and he tells me a bunch of things to say and to show them. He says he was going to try and get to a judge but I'll let him add the details of what went on on his end.
Before I can show the Migraciones people anything though, some representatives from the airline told me that some one was going to escort me to the transit area while this was being sorted out. In the background I hear the word citizenship from the Migraciones people huddled around the computer. The airline reps asked me if anyone was waiting for me and I told them that my girlfriend was and how to find her. When they found her they told her that I was going to have to wait all day and then return to the US that night.
Next up bajo is telling me to calm down because they didn't have jurisdiction over someone applying for citizenship. Bajo said he was sending me something important. After some technical difficulties w/ imessage I got the copy of an order from the court to DNM w/ regards to another case.
Once again I am preempted from showing them anything by the top ranking lady walking in and handing me my passport with the words "Tu equipaje debe estar en la cinta, si no esta, pregunta en la mesa de United".
Thats it, no "Its taken care of", no "sorry about that", no nothing. I wasn't completely sure I wasn't being sent to pick up my luggage to re-check it. But as I pushed my cart towards aduana and nobody came to grab me I realized it was over and that what Bajo had told me must have been true. No tiene competencia sobre un solicitante de ciudadania
Now I don't know if the court contacted them, or if when the went to complete the rejection order something came up in the system. What I do know is that I am incredibly glad that I went down the citizenship road with bajo_cero. Citzenship was the right choice for me, I love Argentina and will be proud to be a member of this country, but, beyond that, I cannot possibly articulate all of my gratitud to bajo cero for his attention on Wednesday and throughout this entire process.
Bajo sometimes gets a rough treatment on this forum, including from me, because of his politics, and while I will never tell anybody off for making fun of his little amigovio relationship with Matias, nobody should doubt his skills as a lawyer. Even before this week I never doubted that I had made the right choice. Even in personal chats his intellect and humor is undeniable and talking shop, his passion for the work always comes through. Bajo, I know you probably don't need any props but I got to give 'em anyway, you certainly deserve them.
In fin, I'm not El Queso and this took way too long to write, but I felt like I needed to share it. I made it 6 years without a problem and it finally happened to me, a good friend of mine (also a member here) was warned that it could happen to him soon as well; so if you've made it this far on a tourist visa, don't get complacent! You could be next. Also if you've been here that long, you must love this place in some way and if you love argentina, just bite the fugazzeta and go native like I.
Rodolfo Walsh
edit: Its 2 am. This post needs a proof read but this is the internet so it'll just have to go out like this.
On the advice of bajo_cero and others on this forum I had decided to forgo visa runs and last year paid the overstay fee after 11 months in the country.
That was December. This past wednesday found me en EZE bright and early, hung over on last night's sleeping pill and a 787's worth of human fumes. Working my way through the immigration line, I end up with the one guy who looks less excited to be there than I do. That was the beginning. As he flipped through my passport a bunch of times, noting the overstays and the tourist stamps, I started to get nervous. He asked me what I was doing in Argentina,I mentioned that I was enrolled in a local university (true) and that I had had problems not entirely of my making in renewing my tourist visa (true) but based on advice given on this forum, I decided not to mention my citizenship intentions. I was very careful not to lie.
Well, after 10 min of that, I get pulled into the back office to talk to the supervisor. The supervisor listens to my story and asks me for my passport and says she's going to try to sort it out. She asks me to take a seat in a small side room which looks like a police interrogation room. Her supervisor comes out and they talk while huddled over a computer.
At this point I start blowing up our good barrister's phone. I think I called his office 3 times and his cell 5+. (Sorry if you were sleeping). I also started calling a few other attorneys just to make sure I got into the country. At this point I wonder out of the room to ask if I can help with the process and the head honcho lady says that there is no more information needed, that I have to go back to the US. I see a document on the computer screen with a big read header and my passport number being typed in.
Right about this point Bajo_cero gets back to me, we exchange messages and he tells me a bunch of things to say and to show them. He says he was going to try and get to a judge but I'll let him add the details of what went on on his end.
Before I can show the Migraciones people anything though, some representatives from the airline told me that some one was going to escort me to the transit area while this was being sorted out. In the background I hear the word citizenship from the Migraciones people huddled around the computer. The airline reps asked me if anyone was waiting for me and I told them that my girlfriend was and how to find her. When they found her they told her that I was going to have to wait all day and then return to the US that night.
Next up bajo is telling me to calm down because they didn't have jurisdiction over someone applying for citizenship. Bajo said he was sending me something important. After some technical difficulties w/ imessage I got the copy of an order from the court to DNM w/ regards to another case.
Once again I am preempted from showing them anything by the top ranking lady walking in and handing me my passport with the words "Tu equipaje debe estar en la cinta, si no esta, pregunta en la mesa de United".
Thats it, no "Its taken care of", no "sorry about that", no nothing. I wasn't completely sure I wasn't being sent to pick up my luggage to re-check it. But as I pushed my cart towards aduana and nobody came to grab me I realized it was over and that what Bajo had told me must have been true. No tiene competencia sobre un solicitante de ciudadania
Now I don't know if the court contacted them, or if when the went to complete the rejection order something came up in the system. What I do know is that I am incredibly glad that I went down the citizenship road with bajo_cero. Citzenship was the right choice for me, I love Argentina and will be proud to be a member of this country, but, beyond that, I cannot possibly articulate all of my gratitud to bajo cero for his attention on Wednesday and throughout this entire process.
Bajo sometimes gets a rough treatment on this forum, including from me, because of his politics, and while I will never tell anybody off for making fun of his little amigovio relationship with Matias, nobody should doubt his skills as a lawyer. Even before this week I never doubted that I had made the right choice. Even in personal chats his intellect and humor is undeniable and talking shop, his passion for the work always comes through. Bajo, I know you probably don't need any props but I got to give 'em anyway, you certainly deserve them.
In fin, I'm not El Queso and this took way too long to write, but I felt like I needed to share it. I made it 6 years without a problem and it finally happened to me, a good friend of mine (also a member here) was warned that it could happen to him soon as well; so if you've made it this far on a tourist visa, don't get complacent! You could be next. Also if you've been here that long, you must love this place in some way and if you love argentina, just bite the fugazzeta and go native like I.
Rodolfo Walsh
edit: Its 2 am. This post needs a proof read but this is the internet so it'll just have to go out like this.
