Recommendations For An Immigration Lawyer?

[alclaire]

Thanks so much for clicking on this thread. I'm looking for an immigration lawyer who works regularly with clients from the US and can give me a hand sorting out my immigration status and evaluating options for renewing my visa. If you have any recommendations, please send them my way. I appreciate your help!

 

[steveinbsas]

Renewing a visa is usually relatively simple and entails providing updated documents (the same as you presented when you first applied for your visa) and a new Argentine criminal report. You will NOT need a new or updated criminal report from your "home" country (or any country that you lived in for three years prior to obtaining your visa).

And it is something you really should NOT need a lawyer to accomplish.

I suggest you post any questions you have about your renewal here and then if you need an experienced person to go to migraciones with you (primarily to translate) I will send you the contact details of a woman I know who has helped a number of expats present their documents when applying for the first time as well as applying for their renewals.

She charges much, much less than a lawyer (who has no "power" to get your renewal if you don't qualify).

 

[alclaire]

Thanks for your response, Steve. I have had a variety of student/work visas during the 6 years I've been in Argnetina and am familiar with the renewal process. Unfortunately, there have been some hickups along the way and I have never been able to reach the three-year mark that would enable me to apply for permanent residency. I am currently on a student visa, but am not sure whether I can renew this visa (I didn't complete my courses) or change to a working visa without losing the two years of legal residnecy that I have accumulated.

 

[steveinbsas]

I still think it is worth the time to ask at migraciones.

I can't imagine a lawyer telling you that you don't need his or her services, even if they are highly recommended by a member of this forum.

 

[ElQueso]

This may be the only thing Steve and I have ever disagreed on here Not that he's wrong at all, just that if you can afford it and have uncertainties, I've found it better to let someone else take the work because I have more important things to do than spend hours dealing with that crap.

But he is completely right that you can do all this yourself. The reason I used a lawyer (aside from not having the time or inclination) was because as soon as you hit a snag (and you never know where it comes from, like a blip from 28 years previously on my FBI record that wasn't supposed to be there and my application ended up court) it helps to have someone who really knows the legal ins and outs.

However, if you've already had residency, you truly may not need a lawyer. The gestor that Steve mentions may be all you need.

Just in case, here's who I used: www.celano.com.ar

Very dependable, his staff all speak good English and I and 5 of my friends have used him over the years and he had the most reasonable prices out of any other lawyer I checked into. The only possible issue is that he was really flooded recently with a lot of cases and may have too many clients these days.

 

[steveinbsas]

I actually agree with ElQueso, but you might save yourself time and money by asking at migraciones first. If they give you a positive answer you can proceed on your own and if not you can consult with the attorney.


The woaman who has gone to migraciones with several members of the forum is not a gestor. She simply goes along to help those who don't speak Spanish well enough to answer questions. She answered a couple of "tough" ones for me when I went for my first renewal. She is also an expat herself. Though she is from Uruguay, she has been helping expats from the USA since 2006,

 

[Ceviche]

she has been helping expats from the USA since 2006,

What about expats who are "not" from USA?

 

[ElCordobés]

I don't know about BA. but I was able to get answers via email whenever I needed assistance from migraciones (in Cordoba). They always responded within 24 hours (shocking...I know) and I always received a responses. I go that route first in order to have in writing--and articulate clearly in Spanish. Inquiries via phone are harder for me and there's less accountability for them (I don't like talking to five people and getting five+ different answers).

Frankly, I apply this to more than migraciones..I have won many challenges via email and IM chats (yes, IM is great)...In one instance, I cited the law my medical insurance coverage to avoid an illegal USD500 fee that the hospital insisted I had to pay in no uncertain terms whiles I was at the clinic (law printed and in hand at that time AND the insurance has a support desk in the hospital...all worthless)...One day after an IM chat--I received a call from the clinic that it would be gratuita and scheduled the appt. (Sorry, a bit off-topic...point is...anything you can get in writing is great...you've been around the Argie block so this is probably old news)

I suspect this is a bit bigger issue than what can be address via email, but it's good info... It worked well for us as I prepared our permanent residency docs. We had an easy situation as parents of a Argentina-born child, but thanks in part to the advance emails to migraciones we had everything required in one appt for me, my wife and US-born daughter. (we completed about two years ago for some context of timing of process). Note: I always sent my emails to migraciones from a generic email address and did not cite my personal case information (full, name, passport, address) until it was necessary as we were "irregular" at the time. I didn't want the writing to be turned around against me. Perhaps, unnecessary, but it made me feel better.

So if you want to test the waters solo...

Here are all the delegations and contact info. Hours, Phone, Fax, Email, etc.