residency (with US income from non-profit) before arriving in BA ?

mkathryn3

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My family (husband and 4 kids) will be moving to BA at the end of the year. We expect at least 2 years in Argentina. He has a job with a US non-profit and we can verify that income (will be paid in dollars). Wondering if we can fulfill all of the requirements and have temporary residency issued before we arrive in Argentina by going to the consulate here in the US? If so would we avoid the reciprocity fee charged to tourists upon entry (fairly substantial given there are 6 of us). Or do we actually have to be in the country before the residency can be issued?

The easier we can make it on ourselves when we get there the better, as I don't relish the thought of sitting in offices for hours with 4 young children trying to get everything sorted out.


Grateful for any help!
 
mkathryn3 said:
My family (husband and 4 kids) will be moving to BA at the end of the year. We expect at least 2 years in Argentina. He has a job with a US non-profit and we can verify that income (will be paid in dollars). Wondering if we can fulfill all of the requirements and have temporary residency issued before we arrive in Argentina by going to the consulate here in the US? If so would we avoid the reciprocity fee charged to tourists upon entry (fairly substantial given there are 6 of us). Or do we actually have to be in the country before the residency can be issued?

The easier we can make it on ourselves when we get there the better, as I don't relish the thought of sitting in offices for hours with 4 young children trying to get everything sorted out.


Grateful for any help!

Is his company not assisting with this? (ie engaging an immigration lawyer to assist with the process). If not, perhaps thats something you could suggest to them. I would think you can charge the reciprocity fee back to the company in any case. If you need an immigration lawyer, PM me.
 
I'm afraid you may not have to sit in any office very long.

To obtain the visa financier the income must be passive, i.e. from investment.

I don't think migraciones will grant a work visa to a foreigner who is living in Argentina and being paid outside Argentina by a foreign employer. I don't think Argentine consulates can grant work visas on their own and unless the employer is registered with migraciones in Argentina, no work visa could be issued.

If your husband is going to be working for the nonprofit and they don't provide housing you will also face a big challenge finding adequate housing for six at a reasonable rate.

Has the nonprofit ever "sent" an employee to Argentina in the past?

If so, I suggest you talk with those who have already done what you want to do.

If not, the employer is putting you in an almost impossible situation, at least as far as getting residency is concerned.

You can come here and work and live under the radar for a couple years, but you will have to pay the entry fees and, by the time you leave, the overstay fee could increase significantly. It's only $300 pesos now, but the last time it increased it increased sixfold (from $50 to $300).

And while you are in Argentina prices for many things will increase (on average) about 25-30% per year, and some of those increases might be even higher.

Have you given any thought to the cost of health care? If the entry fee is an obstacle, the cheapest private health plan will probably cost even more on a monthly basis for each family member, certainly for the adults. Of course everyone in Argentina can go to a public hospital without charge, but the level of "health care" isn't nearly the same as private plans.
 
Yes, they will assist and yes, any reciprocity or other fees would be reimbursed. The nonprofit has not sent anyone to Argentina in the past although there are others through South America. Some of his work will be teaching in a university there. The university won't be paying his salary though so I don't know that they can help us in getting residency but we'll pursue that, as it sounds like it would be best to have an employer in Argentina on our side.

I'm in the early stages of researching and haven't looked into an immigration lawyer as we were hoping to keep costs down for the nonprofit but we can certainly do that. It looks more complicated than I had originally thought so that option is looking more appealing.

Our health plan is US based that reimburses "in network" for any costs incurred outside the US. So that's not really a problem. The housing however is another issue.

Thanks for all the food for thought.
 
If the university isn't paying his salary they won't be responsible to pay the appropriate taxes and I don't think migraciones will care if the university is on your side.

An "immigration" lawyer cannot change the laws or invent new ones to fit your situation. All they can do is take your money, certainly no less than $1000 USD for the primary applicant, and say they "tried" when the application is denied. And then migraciones will know who you are, where you are living, and where your husband is working without a work visa.

Are you sure your "health plan" would reimburse you for "any costs" incurred abroad? What if one of your children became seriously ill or you were involved in an accident in a taxi? Is your coverage good for the entire time you are out of your home country?

If you go to a private hospital I think you can receive care, but you may have to pay then and there. Will you be in a position to do so and wait for reimbursement later? If not you may have to rely on a public hospital and they are not in a position to provide the same level of medical services.

Speaking of taxis, how do you plan to get around the city as a family?

If I understand correctly, taxis cannot accept more than four passengers. Most of them are so small they can barely accommodate three adults. Are you willing to go everywhere as a family in two taxis...hoping both drivers are honest enough to take you directly where you want to go?

Do you know where the university is located? If you can tell us where it is we can help you get an idea of what the rental market in that area.

I suggest you read the posts by BAwithkids. She was in a similar situation not long ago:

http://baexpats.org/search.php?searchid=629076

Another thing to consider is school for your children. Private schools are expensive and public schools may not meet your standards. Homeschooling is a possibility, depending on the age range of your children and your teaching skills.
 
Steve is making some great points. A 2 year move for a family of 6, with a company that does not have experience in Argentina, wow! How is your familys Spanish?

I am sure you are but I would really think this one through, this will no doubt be a very "challenging experience" for your family.
 
Appreciate the thoughts and concerns. My husband says the university should be able to help once we are there (they have helped others in the past in similar situations) so I guess it looks like we'll have to go as tourists and figure it out once we get there. I had assumed we had a chance at residency just based on our ability to provide a verifiable US income source. And I figured it would be easier to do that before we left. Thanks for helping me realize it probably won't be that easy.

About the other concerns, we are likely crazy (our families certainly think so) but we've lived overseas with kids before and enjoy an adventure. And we really have done our research (although obviously not enough about the important question of how we'll live there legally!) We have some Spanish but the kids do not. We have several friends/acquaintances already in BA - luckily they include a pediatrician and a real estate agent, both of which could be very useful in our situation:)

The health insurance is very good and really will reimburse any expense in any country. You are right though, Steve, that the downside is that we have to pay upfront.

We're looking to live in the north zone, somewhere we can find a bit more space for the kids. We've already been in contact with a few bilingual schools and been talking to them about the possibility of some financial aid, so we're familiar with the costs. I'm also comfortable with homeschooling and have done some in the past but if we can manage the cost I would prefer the kids to be somewhere they can make friends and learn Spanish.

About transportation I guess we figured we'd use public transportation initially and buy a car if need be.

I'll look for the posts you mentioned about kids- the link you posted doesn't seem to be working for me but I'll do a search.

Thanks again!
 
mkathryn3 said:
Appreciate the thoughts and concerns. My husband says the university should be able to help once we are there (they have helped others in the past in similar situations) so I guess it looks like we'll have to go as tourists and figure it out once we get there. I had assumed we had a chance at residency just based on our ability to provide a verifiable US income source. And I figured it would be easier to do that before we left. Thanks for helping me realize it probably won't be that easy.

About the other concerns, we are likely crazy (our families certainly think so) but we've lived overseas with kids before and enjoy an adventure. And we really have done our research (although obviously not enough about the important question of how we'll live there legally!) We have some Spanish but the kids do not. We have several friends/acquaintances already in BA - luckily they include a pediatrician and a real estate agent, both of which could be very useful in our situation:)

The health insurance is very good and really will reimburse any expense in any country. You are right though, Steve, that the downside is that we have to pay upfront.

We're looking to live in the north zone, somewhere we can find a bit more space for the kids. We've already been in contact with a few bilingual schools and been talking to them about the possibility of some financial aid, so we're familiar with the costs. I'm also comfortable with homeschooling and have done some in the past but if we can manage the cost I would prefer the kids to be somewhere they can make friends and learn Spanish.

About transportation I guess we figured we'd use public transportation initially and buy a car if need be.

I'll look for the posts you mentioned about kids- the link you posted doesn't seem to be working for me but I'll do a search.

Thanks again!

Is the University not registered with migraciones? If you are going to go for a type of residency, I would suggest trying to get he University to assist before you get here. I am suggesting this from experience, as my work visa was organised when I arrived and it was annoying, given it added to the list of things to organise once here (given that was already long enough). Making trips to migraciones, lawyers office, getting certificado de domicilio from the police etc etc.

Is your husband working in Capital? Do you mean you are looking at "Zona Norte" to live? The process for buying a car isnt easy, but I think you may require one!
 
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