School Dni Bank Account Help!

[ARbound]

Greeting's All!

I know this is quite the set of questions for a first post, but a friend who moved to Bs As recommended I check out the forum because you guys and gals are rather knowledgeable. I've done some forum searching and there's a few things I've been wanting to figure out that didn't get completely answered in past threads.

I'm moving to BA in July, and will be enrolling in language classes to try to become competent in Spanish. I've looked around, and I think I've decided to go to UBA and take the classes for foreigners. I'm doing this with the intention to apply for admissions to UBA once I'm competent enough in my comprehension, which at this time, is not close to adequate.

I've been to the Argentine Consulate in my city, and have had my background check/criminal certified by the government and the AR Consulate, so that I will have all the documents I need to apply at the Migration Ministry for my student visa once I finish language classes (hopefully).

So, I guess here's my questions:

1) I emailed UBA about costs, they said the following: 8 hours a week over 2 months= $3,385.00 ARS. Is this a good rate?
I don't want to deal with a shady language school that's going to target foreigners, so I've mainly look at government schools.

Also, they said RE: visas, that they issue "constancia(s)" for students, valid for the period of study (3 month periods of time). My question is whether this will help me with anything at the migration ministry?

2) RE: DNI. From the posts I've read, having a DNI is a great tool to be able to do a lot in AR, especially for someone like me who wants to live in the country until I finish school. How exactly does one like myself get a DNI? I don't want to be a "permatourist" as I will be going to school (language first, then regular University) and I want to be able to stay in BA without having to go to Colonia every 3 months and causing unwanted attention. All in all, what does one need to apply for a DNI?

3) Bank Account. Like I said, I'm planning on living in BA for next say 5-6 years, so how would I go about getting a bank account given my situation? I get that it's a lot like a regular bureaucracy: getting one depends on your horoscope, favorite ice cream flavor, whether the agent's favorite song was played on the radio or if I sneeze before reaching the desk, but how has it been for you guys? I only want a ARS checking account with (hopefully) visa/mc debit or maestro so I don't have to carry a tone of cash on me all the time.

Finally, I know my plan may seem crazy or strange, that's why I'm looking for some help in figuring it out. Also, money IS an object, so I'm trying to do everything on the cheap so I don't have endless US Dollars to back up on.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Parvati]

Hi.
UBA is a good school, it is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, public research universities in the country. I have heard good things about the classes for foreigners. Like any public university the tuition fee is what it is and 3385 for two months is not that expensive. I am sure you got the international student rate, but just as in the US international students usually pay more. Regarding the visa, what they give you at UBA is a university letter where they state that you are registered for classes there and here as a student. You need that for your temporary residency or student visa. Once you have that you will have to go to the main offices and get your DNI.

http://www.buenosaires.gob.ar/areas/educacion/gestion_privada/docs/guia-alumn-extr.pdf Your DNI question starts on page 8
http://www.migraciones.gov.ar/accesible/?tramitacion_temporaria

All the info you need is online.
GL

 

[Parvati]

Oh, and once you get your DNI you can open a bank account. Be patient, I got m DNI after 8 months of submitting the paper work...

 

[ARbound]

Hi.
UBA is a good school, it is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, public research universities in the country. I have heard good things about the classes for foreigners. Like any public university the tuition fee is what it is and 3385 for two months is not that expensive. I am sure you got the international student rate, but just as in the US international students usually pay more. Regarding the visa, what they give you at UBA is a university letter where they state that you are registered for classes there and here as a student. You need that for your temporary residency or student visa. Once you have that you will have to go to the main offices and get your DNI.

http://www.buenosair...-alumn-extr.pdf Your DNI question starts on page 8
http://www.migracion...cion_temporaria

All the info you need is online.
GL

Thanks for the reply!

I guess I'm a bit confused as the consulate said I didn't need anything certified except my background check. I just paid $75.00 to have it certified, and would like to avoid doing so for the Birth Cert and transcripts if need be, yet it's either need or recomended from what I can tell in the link you provided. What did you need to get your DNI? Has anyone in a similar position got their DNI without all these expensive certifications?

 

[sleslie23]

You're in for a shock if you are from the US and you want to study an undergraduate major at UBA. You will have to pass high school equivalency exams (which will probably take 6-12 months) and go through several turns with the Ministry of Education and UBA before you can enroll.

If you already have a degree and want to study a masters, all you will need is an apostillized version of your degree and transcripts.

 

[ARbound]

You're in for a shock if you are from the US and you want to study an undergraduate major at UBA. You will have to pass high school equivalency exams (which will probably take 6-12 months) and go through several turns with the Ministry of Education and UBA before you can enroll.

If you already have a degree and want to study a masters, all you will need is an apostillized version of your degree and transcripts.

Are you saying this from experience/first hand knowledge? I'm not meaning to be combative, I'm just curious.

Seeing as $18,000 a year for school is not an option here, and I've always wanted to learn Spanish/live abroad, I'd say the shock came and went with my first delusion I could afford university in North America. I don't care how long it takes me, I simply cant afford school in the USA/Canada/EU etc. I'm not in a rush to get anywhere by age 25/30/65/etc so let the equivalency process/CBC/bureaucracy take a year, 2 years, whatever need be.

 

[Kettle]

Hi ARBound,

You're definitely going to need your high school transcript and high school diploma (notarized in the US and Apostilled; then later translated here by a registered public translator, and then certified by the Colegio de Traductores). The transcript and diploma are required by the UBA for admission to an undergraduate career, not by Migraciones, so that's why the consulate didn't mention it (obviously they want to see that you completed your secondary studies! But you don't have to write an essay. ). Officially Migraciones claims to require a birth certificate for the residency procedure, but in my experience they don't ask for it, but it would be good to procure before leaving the US, as it will be more expensive to have that sent to you once you're here.

As for the constancia they issue at the Centro de idiomas at the UBA -- I'm surprised to hear they even do this! In reality, I don't think this will affect much, as it's only valid for 3 months, i.e. the exact amount of time you automatically receive when you enter the country as a tourist. I would personally skip that part of the procedure. If you're not planning to leave the country at all before enrolling in the UBA as an undergraduate, then I don't think you even need to bother with "renewing" your transitory (i.e. tourist) residency, as once you're a full-time student enrolled in the UBA, you can begin the student residency procedure and it won't matter to Migraciones whether your time here as a tourist has expired. As for the criminal record -- did you get the FBI background check or just local police? If you want a residency over 6 mos. I believe it has to be the former.

As for the DNI, this is something you'll solicit once you are granted temporary residency as a student. The rules and manner in which you obtain the DNI seem to vary every year, so I wouldn't worry about that too much now.

The bank account you can open once you have a DNI, but I would think twice about why you want a bank account! Are you planning on working full-time here? If you have residency and find a legal job, you will get a bank account through your job. If you wind up working under the table (a common thing here, especially for foreigners teaching English), you won't need a bank account, as you'll be paid in cash and you'll never earn enough money to be able to amass any significant savings.

I don't know if I answered all your questions, but the thing to highlight in regard to your last questions is that a DNI is dependent upon some type of permanent or temporary residency (not "transitory" residency, of the type you receive as a tourist). So the first hurdle is obtaining residency as a student, then the DNI comes afterwards. To get student residency, you need to be enrolled in a *full-time, degree-granting* program, such as an undergraduate career at a faculty of the UBA. However, to be admitted to the UBA as an undergraduate student, you need to submit documentation related to your having obtained a high school degree. As you went to high school in a foreign country, you will have to get internationally-recognized certification of these documents (Apostille) as well as translation of the documents to the local language. The US notarization and Apostille-ing aren't so expensive. The translation of the documents once you get here are a little pricier, but you only have to do it once, fortunately.

Bla bla bla. In sum, I think it's awesome that you're being so adventurous and curious and want to study here! People are leaving snarky responses because they know that studying at the UBA is a) a looooong haul, like a journey of 5-7 years and B) not a walk in the park. So you know, just keep being patient, ask your questions, do your research, and then ask some more questions.

 

[Montauk_Project]

It might have changed, but a friend of mine got his residency studying at CFP-SICA, a film school that offers short classes (not degrees). So studying languages might work.
you will find that getting money into Argentina is possible but not easy--see threads on zoom.
you can also take out money from a US account with an ATM card, but the ATM fees do take a cut.
I think you will learn a lot going to school at UBA, especially if you get involved in student politics, which is great training for working in the Argentine poltical system.
What do you want to study?
If you have time, I would also suggest seeing if you can enroll in a high school, as you will have to take the exams anyway. There are some private schools that are cheap, I´m sure if you pay they will take you. You will need to take 6 exams to get you HS degree. I passed 5 on the first try, but I had already been here for 5 years. I also studied about 15 hours a week for three months prior with a private tutor.

 

[ARbound]

As for the criminal record -- did you get the FBI background check or just local police? If you want a residency over 6 mos. I believe it has to be the former.

Thanks for the response! I got the Canadian equivalent which is RCMP/FBI/INTERPOL and Local Police Too. I guess I'll get all the documents certified by the Arge Consulate. I just hope they'll excuse my mistake and maybe not make me pay another $66.00 when I go to get my background check...

It might have changed, but a friend of mine got his residency studying at CFP-SICA, a film school that offers short classes (not degrees). So studying languages might work.
you will find that getting money into Argentina is possible but not easy--see threads on zoom.
you can also take out money from a US account with an ATM card, but the ATM fees do take a cut.
I think you will learn a lot going to school at UBA, especially if you get involved in student politics, which is great training for working in the Argentine poltical system.
What do you want to study?
If you have time, I would also suggest seeing if you can enroll in a high school, as you will have to take the exams anyway. There are some private schools that are cheap, I´m sure if you pay they will take you. You will need to take 6 exams to get you HS degree. I passed 5 on the first try, but I had already been here for 5 years. I also studied about 15 hours a week for three months prior with a private tutor.

Yeah, I've checked out Xoom, that's what a friend of mine has been using. My bank charges $5.00 USD a withdraw so I'm going to avoid it. Way to read my mind! I'm actually a Poli-Sci student, and have some credits under my belt (I've been pretty active in politics here, even had my platform plank I wrote for my former Political Party taken to Parliament by an MP a few months ago, so one day it could even be law, who knows )

Why enroll in high school though? I've graduated, have a diploma, and some university credits?

Thanks everyone for the help!

 

[Montauk_Project]

You don´t need to enroll but you need to take 6 exams for your hs degree to be recognized. The only requirement to enter UBA is a HS degree. My suggestion is that to learn language cheaper than in a Spanish class is to enroll in night school. You are going to need help to pass the exams.
I also had a university degree and was actually teaching HS in Argentina, but I still had to go back to HS to take the exams. The history teacher actually didn´t really take the test, as I have a degree in history, so he said it would be rude to do so to a fellow collegue (I studied for the exam anyway, but I appreciated the gesture). My Span Lit level 2 teacher didn´t care, and didn´t pass me.