So everything just crashed at the last second. Need opinions.

[SecretShopper]

Argentina is gonna Argentina. After being approved for the visa, and paying the immigration fee to the government, I am all of a sudden unapproved. A week ago I was contacted by the consulate and they told me they detected a problem. The problem is that I was accepted to the university in Feb and had a start date set for March of this year. They said it was a problem because they can't issue the visa after the start date has already passed. That makes no sense but let's move forward.

I thought it would be an easy fix. I contacted the university to ask for an updated acceptance letter. Let me say that it was a complete nightmare working with this university to get all the needed paperwork in Feb (it actually took 2 months). After going back and forth over and over, they sent me a new letter... 3 days later. The problem is that is was the same "old" letter... the exact same one. I've been trying to get a new one but apparently it's not possible to produce a letter without it taking 3-5 days.

Considering the flight is tomorrow, the consulate tried to call the university to confirm the status. They were told they needed my permission. I tried to call and email and chat to give permission but they were literally refusing in one way or another to communicate with the consulate. They finally sent a new letter... with a start date of March 2024. Unbelievable. I tried to reason with the consulate to show them any other way that I am actually enrolled in the university. Since my supposed flight tomorrow is late at night they are trying to get approval to give the visa anyway and I'm supposed to find out tomorrow afternoon if they can, or if I need to wait 3-5 more business days for the university to produce another incorrect letter.

Here is the immediate problem... according to the consulate, back when I started, they would not take my passport and have me pay the immigration fee to the government until everything was approved. So obviously I considered everything finalized when that happened weeks ago. I own homes, but not in the US where I currently am. If I missed the flight tomorrow and have to pay hotel prices here (insanely high) until let's say next Friday, it's gonna cost me a good 2k at least. I'm about at the point to say fuck this and go buy citizenship for 100k from one of the islands. I wanted the one from Argentina because its a Tier 1 one passport and also part of Mercosur. All the islands are tier 2 passports. It is a very tough battle against pride right now. If I don't get that visa tomorrow I'm probably on the next flight to Dominica.

I'm not the type of person to say something like "a country should be happy to get foreigners in with money." But if what I keep hearing, that Argentina really really wants and needs dollars, then it really doesn't seem like it since they are doing everything in their power to make it hard as shit for people to get in.

STAY TUNED haha

 

[Pierre Smith]

If you want something positive to note, while this it annoying, there is no way on earth that the American consular services would ever give you that much leeway or directly contact the university, were you a student in the US. It would be a "denied" and you'd most likely need to rebook for a week from now.

So, you're both suffering and benefiting from the Argentine informality/incompetence/indifference around these things.

 

[SecretShopper]

If you want something positive to note, while this it annoying, there is no way on earth that the American consular services would ever give you that much leeway or directly contact the university, were you a student in the US. It would be a "denied" and you'd most likely need to rebook for a week from now.

So, you're both suffering and benefiting from the Argentine informality/incompetence/indifference around these things.

A big part is their fault for telling me everything was good and having me proceed with the payments.

 

[ventanilla]

You can apply for any visa from within Argentina. Any. Student visas included EXCEPT exchange student visas. You can enter on a tourist visa and sort this out from within the country, 100 million times easier. Fly to Argentina anyway, enter as a tourist, upgrade to a student visa once inside the country. Done.

 

[SecretShopper]

If I did that, I wonder if the immigration fee that I already paid transfer over. I also heard that it could take like 5 months to complete it from inside the country.

 

[steveinbsas]

If I did that, I wonder if the immigration fee that I already paid transfer over. I also heard that it could take like 5 months to complete it from inside the country.

If you apply for the student visa in Argentina, I'm sure the fee you already paid will be credited.

If you can't get the approval from the consulate today and it doesn't look like they will grant it any time soon, and, since being a student is secondary to getting citizenship, it makes sense (at least to me) for you to come ASAP and start the two year clock ticking.

Even if it takes five months to get the student visa here, you will probbaly get a precaria and not even need to extend your tourist visa for an additional 90 days.

PS: And, as Bajo has posted several times, you can apply for citizenship as soon as you arrive and, if I understand correctly, that will protect you from a deportation order from migraciones, even if you never get the student visa.

 

[steveinbsas]

PS2: If I understand correctly, even when one applies for residency (including a "student visa") at an Argentine consulate, all of the paperwork is submitted to and must be approved by migraciones in Argentina.

Perhaps these extra steps justify the higher fee charged at the consulate.

If that´s the case, everything you have already submitted including your payment is in the system here and you won't have to start from scratch, so it shouldn't take long to get your visa.

You can ask at the consulate if that's accurate.

 

[SecretShopper]

So does the 2 year clock start when I enter, or when I at least get a precaria?

My other giant concern is if Argentina is like other countries where you are not allowed to leave the country during an official immigration process. I couldn't see myself not going anywhere for 2 years.

 

[steveinbsas]

So does the 2 year clock start when I enter, or when I at least get a precaria?

My other giant concern is if Argentina is like other countries where you are not allowed to leave the country during an official immigration process. I couldn't see myself not going anywhere for 2 years.

I beleive that the two year clock starts when you set foot on Argentine soil for the first time. Some (if not many) of his clients never actually have/had a precaria or residency granted by migraciones.

He has also indicated that it is posible to leave the country during the two year period, but I am not sure how much of the two years you "sholuld" be in the country during the citizenship process, which is not actually an "official immigration process" as Argentine migraciones does not perform this function. Citizenship applications are processed by the federal courts.

 

[SecretShopper]

Well I was just notified that they are going to process the visa and that I can pick it up later today. 5 hours before the flight. It's funny how much I have read on this forum how crazy it can be dealing with any Argentine process, and how I got a grand introduction to that statement before setting foot in Argentina (not true since I've already been to Argentina).

So the journey officially begins. I'll likely wait a year before applying for citizenship. And I just realized I'm officially homeless in Argentina since I put on hold the apartment search. Welp, guess I'll be in a hotel for a week or so.