Just a reassurance for Visa Runners to Colonia

[TarHeelBluze]

So just to clarify, if I want to be here a year, and I leave the country every 60 days or so, what are my chances of being able to return to BA each time for the duration of the year? I'm working for an NGO but understood that so long as I didn't overstay, returning wouldn't be a problem. Has that changed? If so, what should I do? I don't want to pay $700 for some visa that I don't need.

 

[dennisr]

Well, this debate is all about a new law which enforces 180 maximum staying per year and establishes a deportation procedure that didn´t exist before.
Regards

I keep a running total for the days in Argentina and have not exceeded the 180 day statute in one year. I am a commuter of sorts and always play it by the numbers. It just seems one gets hassled at every turn anymore. Visiting Argentina is becoming one big pain the ass. Probably all part of the reciprocity policy in our world today.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

So just to clarify, if I want to be here a year, and I leave the country every 60 days or so, what are my chances of being able to return to BA each time for the duration of the year? I'm working for an NGO but understood that so long as I didn't overstay, returning wouldn't be a problem. Has that changed? If so, what should I do? I don't want to pay $700 for some visa that I don't need.

Depends. This is not predictable. Every migration inspector has freedom to enforce the 180 in the way he finds proper. I mentioned 2 cases where they gave 90 days ultima prorroga, this means they were able to stay regular for 9 month. Too risky. Just staying irregular seems a better option. If you have 24 months staying you can apply for citizenship.
Regards

 

[Bajo_cero2]

I keep a running total for the days in Argentina and have not exceeded the 180 day statute in one year. I am a commuter of sorts and always play it by the numbers. It just seems one gets hassled at every turn anymore. Visiting Argentina is becoming one big pain the ass. Probably all part of the reciprocity policy in our world today.

That´s because you didn´t visit the US being a foreigner. I was there for 1 year and I worked Illegally, Argentina is a paradise!

 

[mmoon]

I had the opposite experience of the author of the original post...they looked at ALL of my stamps very carefully and asked me pointedly about my visa extension (the one I waited seven hours for at the Immigration Office). I think it all depends on which agent you get!

 

[zaenden]

within the last week went to ciudad del este 2 times, foz iguacu 2 times, colonia, already have five stamps they always smile at me!! I give my south african passport and say waka waka)

 

[Bajo_cero2]

This is not a matter of how many stamps, the issue is related to how many days per year. You mentioned triple frontera, so there is an standard tourists tour to cross the border several times. Regards

 

[BaltRochGirl]

Not sure what all the new rules are, but I've been in BA since January renewing my visa in Colonia, planned to do other trips but the timing never worked out. Just went back to Colonia this past Monday and didn't have any issue, or even a question from the Immigrations official. So that's my 4th stamp, almost all on the same page. That's not to say that someone else might not have an issue, last time the official asked if I lived in BA, I played dumb and he reasked if I was a tourista at which point I said Si.

Hello,
part 1
On sept.10, at the immigrations office in BsAs, my friend from Los Angeles, "G", who has only been here for 6 months on a tourist visa with just 1 trip to colonia 3 months ago, just got that new big stamp that i saw a photo of in another thread that says: "ultima prorroga - 90 days" when she attempted to extend her tourist visa. Immigrations said this stamp means that she will not be able to renew her tourist visa neither there nor by going to colonia, they said they want her to get legalized or she has to leave. (they even humorously told her: "she could marry an argentine or leave, but they dont recommend that she marries an argentine.").
note: (total in her passport, she had 3 other arg. tourist entrance stamps, from a one month trip 1.5 yrs ago, and from a 6 mo trip 3 years ago. )

part 2: my request for new information from the forum
let us know if if you know any tourist who has:
1. been in argentina on tourist stamps for over 6 months (the new decreto says you can get 1 extension, so please dont about post this)
2. renewed or extended their visa after sept.10th or so (i dont care if it was before this date, The new immigration law just went into effect last week, so please dont post any information older than that, we all know in the past it was mostly fine).
3. please, also mention what country they were from.


my personal introduction: I am from the USA, and have been living in buenos aires for the last 4 years with perma-tourist visa renewals. I appreciate all the advice posted here - thank you. I have never posted before. I am worried because i have read about the new immigrations decreto as mentioned in the thread "changes for permatourists", and i have been wondering if it will be enforced or not.

-------------------------

part 3 "ultima prorroga" stamp implications/questions).
"ultima prorroga":
1) what if this ultima prorroga, threat is not enforced at the borders, and deportation orders are never issued?
side story: (one year ago, a japanese friend of mine from the USA was told at bsas immigrations when she went to extend her tourist visa, that it was her last tourist visa, get legal or leave, we wont renew your tourist visa stamp again..... (her warning/threat was verbal and her stamp was just a normal tourist stamp, she never got this (perhaps new) "ultima prorogga stamp")...... anyways, she ignored the warning, left and came back and got a new tourist visa, no problem)

2) what happens in 90 days if she stays in the country, anyone have a story like: immigrations ran a batch database report on all of us ultima prorroga over stayers, and had a judge declare us all illegal or issue a deportation orders (i doubt this will happen, but i would like to keep track of what happens to the people who have previously gotten "ultima prorrogas"?

3) what if she leaves the country for 7 months, will they be nice and give her a new tourist visa when she returns, or will they say no, in the past you were suspicious, so no more tourist visas for ever/5yrs?

4) she is from the of the USA, and another thread mentioned it will likely take her over 90 days just to get a FBI police report that she would need to get another "immigrations sanctioned" temporary 1 year visa (i.e. rentista/student/work/etc....), if she stays here then when she tries to apply, from here, for an "immigrations sanctioned" temporary 1 year visa they will see that she has stayed over her "ultima prorroga", does this mean they will likely deny her?

(she will try to ask immigrations these "ultima prorroga" questions, and report back, but in argentina it seems a good idea to balance what i read in the law, with what 1 random immigrations employee says on 1 random day, with a collective consensus of what is actually happening on the street)

ayyyy!!! on a positive note, at least they gave her 90 days to try to legalize, instead of just deporting her on the spot.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

Hello,
part 1
On sept.10, at the immigrations office in BsAs, my friend from Los Angeles, "G", who has only been here for 6 months on a tourist visa with just 1 trip to colonia 3 months ago, just got that new big stamp that i saw a photo of in another thread that says: "ultima prorroga - 90 days" when she attempted to extend her tourist visa. Immigrations said this stamp means that she will not be able to renew her tourist visa neither there nor by going to colonia, they said they want her to get legalized or she has to leave. (they even humorously told her: "she could marry an argentine or leave, but they dont recommend that she marries an argentine.").
note:

There was a recent case of a Canadian Girl who tried to renewal the "ultima prorroga" and they gave her 3 days staying. She decided to stay irregular.

part 3 "ultima prorroga" stamp implications/questions).
"ultima prorroga":
1) what if this ultima prorroga, threat is not enforced at the borders, and deportation orders are never issued?
side story: (one year ago, a japanese friend of mine from the USA was told at bsas immigrations when she went to extend her tourist visa, that it was her last tourist visa, get legal or leave, we wont renew your tourist visa stamp again..... (her warning/threat was verbal and her stamp was just a normal tourist stamp, she never got this (perhaps new) "ultima prorogga stamp")...... anyways, she ignored the warning, left and came back and got a new tourist visa, no problem)

There wasn´t a deportation procedure before, that´s why they just warned her like your mom used to.
However, the ultima prorroga is different because whoever see this will enforce it. They might deny your entry or just to give you a few days.

2) what happens in 90 days if she stays in the country, anyone have a story like: immigrations ran a batch database report on all of us ultima prorroga over stayers, and had a judge declare us all illegal or issue a deportation orders (i doubt this will happen, but i would like to keep track of what happens to the people who have previously gotten "ultima prorrogas"?

I was there at DGM, and if you mention a name, they can check your info in the computer, then they can start the deportation procedure. The agent insisted a lot trying to get a name until I said my client was Carlos Menem (a former President). I continued asking and finally she said, he can only be caught if police checks his identity at street, if he goes to the border or if you give me his name .

So, if you have ultima prorroga and overstay there shouldn´t be any issue if you don´t go to the border or to DGM. As I always insist, citizenship is then the solution when you have 2 years being here.

In fact, deportation orders comes from people who tried to get a visa at DGM, when it was rejected, they started the deportation procedure.

3) what if she leaves the country for 7 months, will they be nice and give her a new tourist visa when she returns, or will they say no, in the past you were suspicious, so no more tourist visas for ever/5yrs?

Anything might happens as soon as all the inspectors have free will to decide. But, according to new decreto, if you were a fake tourist they might deny the entry or to give you a short staying. Too risky, just stay irregular.

4) she is from the of the USA, and another thread mentioned it will likely take her over 90 days just to get a FBI police report that she would need to get another "immigrations sanctioned" temporary 1 year visa (i.e. rentista/student/work/etc....), if she stays here then when she tries to apply, from here, for an "immigrations sanctioned" temporary 1 year visa they will see that she has stayed over her "ultima prorroga", does this mean they will likely deny her?

If you try to regularize that´s ok. However, they will deport you if they deny the visa. Remember, you can go to a hospital, study, live, buy assets being irregular, this is not alike the states where you are rightless when you are illegal.

(she will try to ask immigrations these "ultima prorroga" questions, and report back, but in argentina it seems a good idea to balance what i read in the law, with what 1 random immigrations employee says on 1 random day, with a collective consensus of what is actually happening on the street)

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Somebody else should do this on her behalf. The biggest mistake is to provide them a name and your doubts about staying irregular. I asked about that, she dind´t know this even exist.

ayyyy!!! on a positive note, at least they gave her 90 days to try to legalize, instead of just deporting her on the spot.

They were nice, they should give her 30 days. Regards

 

[florence]

I went to Colonia this weekend with about eight or ten Angentine entry visas already in my passport. Some of the early ones were from regular tourist visits, but for the past 15 months, they are of the permatourist variety. The very nice and polite Argentine immigrations agent in Colonia asked me if I had Argentine residency. I said No. He said that because I had "three or four" visas, I should go to migraciones before the new one that he gave me expires and get a prorroga because in the future someone might decide not to let me in. He also mentioned it would save me money but it wasn't clear if he was talking about some sort of fine or the cost of the trips out of the country. (I have noted in my passport one fine for a 3 day overstary earlier this year.) He gave me the normal 90 days and said nothing about an ultimatum. My sense was that he was saying that he was a nice guy and wasn't going to hassle me, but someone else in the future is likely to. I am thinking that it is time to regularize my status with another kind of visa.