Ten Year Resident Offering Advice For Cooperation

expo78

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May 14, 2015
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Hi folks,


Ive been a resident since 2005 when I started the Rentista (commercial resident )program. I am now a permanent resident with DNI and I can tell you everything you would want to know about every kind of residency, the paperwork, costs, etc. I'm originally from the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

The good news is, everything that is needed to get your residency and later on a passport, if you wish, does not really requiere a lawyer, assuming you understand Spanish very, very, very well and can spend some time. In my experience hiring immigration lawyers, I found that rarely do they ever do any real law work . Instead, they do what we would consider mindless secretarial errands such as collecting documents, filling out forms and standing in lines. They are unable to speed things up and get anything achieved that you could not do yourself.

In fact, my view is that lawyers and intermediares get in the way and slow things down. Their primary interest is to collect fees from you so they are in no hurry for things to conclude. They are unable to change outcomes and if you thought that they would "grease" things up for you guess again, Ive never seen or heard of that working here, Argentina's reputation notwithstanding. What I do see are lawyers asking US $2000 to do what you could do yourself for 10 pesos in person. I kid you not. And in all facets of life here, lawyers make everything far more complex and pessimistic. Part of it is the personality of the Porteno and part of it is lawyers just being lawyers. In real estate Ive seen Puerto Madero corporate lawyers demand an upfront fee of 15% of the value of the entire property sale!

And speaking of real estate, never have I seen such incredibly overvalued junk. But I digress.

So, ask me any questions and I will be glad to help.

Part 2

I want to send a 10 lbs. package of canned teas, spices, condiments, olive oil, etc, to my mother in the USA. Let me know if you are headed there and can forward them to her.

Part 3

I want to import a half container of used furniture, clothes and personal effects. True to form, Argentina makes this more difficult than it needs to be. Trouble is, my 6 month time limit as a resident has expired ( Ive been a permament resident for years)
So I need someone to stand in for me. Im paying.
 
Ive been a resident since 2005 when I started the Rentista (commercial resident )program. I am now a permanent resident with DNI and I can tell you everything you would want to know about every kind of residency, the paperwork, costs, etc. I'm originally from the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

The good news is, everything that is needed to get your residency and later on a passport, if you wish, does not really requiere a lawyer, assuming you understand Spanish very, very, very well and can spend some time. In my experience hiring immigration lawyers, I found that rarely do they ever do any real law work . Instead, they do what we would consider mindless secretarial errands such as collecting documents, filling out forms and standing in lines. They are unable to speed things up and get anything achieved that you could not do yourself.

In fact, my view is that lawyers and intermediares get in the way and slow things down. Their primary interest is to collect fees from you so they are in no hurry for things to conclude. They are unable to change outcomes and if you thought that they would "grease" things up for you guess again, Ive never seen or heard of that working here, Argentina's reputation notwithstanding. What I do see are lawyers asking US $2000 to do what you could do yourself for 10 pesos in person. I kid you not. And in all facets of life here, lawyers make everything far more complex and pessimistic. Part of it is the personality of the Porteno and part of it is lawyers just being lawyers. In real estate Ive seen Puerto Madero corporate lawyers demand an upfront fee of 15% of the value of the entire property sale!

And speaking of real estate, never have I seen such incredibly overvalued junk. But I digress.

So, ask me any questions and I will be glad to help.

I have a number of questions.

Where have you been for the past ten years? There are well over a hundred thousand posts on the subjects of getting a visa, citizenship, and importing household goods in this forum.

What can anyone do for ten pesos as far as getting residency is concerned? Ten pesos is probably not enough to make photocopies of a passport.

Where did you get the idea that residency leads to a passport? Passports are only isued to Argentine citizens. Have you ever helped another foreigner get citizenship?

Why do you say that is necessary to speak Spanish very, very well to get either residency or a passport? It isn't necessary to speak any Spanish to get temporary or permanent residency and apparently the requirement to speak Spanish for the passport hs either been dropped or is now rarely enforced.

When was the last time you actually helped someone get their residency (if ever)? Over the years there have been many changes. It's actually a bit easier than ever to apply for the visa rentista and visa pensionado. Fewer documents are required and online turnos have dramatically cut waiting times at migraciones. The DNI now comes in the mail!

I want to send a 10 lbs. package of canned teas, spices, condiments, olive oil, etc, to my mother in the USA. Let me know if you are headed there and can forward them to her.

That sounds really sweet, but there are many online businesses in the USA that could put a package of the best items on your list (from all over the world) and send it directly to your mother. No fuss, no muss, and no pilferage at the airport. (It's just a suggestion.)

I want to import a half container of used furniture, clothes and personal effects. True to form, Argentina makes this more difficult than it needs to be. Trouble is, my 6 month time limit as a resident has expired ( Ive been a permament resident for years)
So I need someone to stand in for me. Im paying.

In addition to the shipping costs (including the customs broker's fee), would you also be willing to post the bond for the stuff that you want someone else to bring in for you on their temporary resident visa? Won't they be responsible for the 50% import taxes when they leave and your stuff stays? If they become permanent residents in three years the stuff they brought for you can stay duty free, but what are the odds?

PS: For almost nine years I have been on a mission here to keep the "immigration lawyers" from trying to suck in expats who are seeking residency.I do however, recognize the need for those with irregular immigration status to have legal representation in the federal court (the only place to apply for citizenship).

I'm sure well over a thousand of my posts (perhaps two thousand) have been on the subject of getting and renewing residency, and a thread I started about Argentine citizenship for foreigners has almost 700 replies and over 78,000 views. There are some other great threads on the subject which were started by other members. They can be found using the search feature with the appropriate key words. And it's all free.
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I'm sure that all advice on this subject is welcome and I believe there are pages of it here.
Hiring people to do the legwork is indeed a thorny issue and if you don't speak Spanish, the best advice I can give is to find someone you trust who speaks it.
I too have been here ten years and although my other half is Argentine, we hired a specialist to grease the wheels, but on the third year, where perm res is given she hiked it up quite nicely to $2k, so I finished it for $45.
 
I'm sure well over a thousand of my posts (perhaps two thousand) have been on the subject of getting and renewing residency, and a thread I started about Argentine citizenship for foreigners has almost 700 replies and over 78,000 views. There are some other great threads on the subject which were started by other members. They can be found using the search feature with the appropriate key words. And it's all free.
I have to agree with Steve here - to come and post about being a great resource, but clearly not having ready anything here, is a bit weird! There are a LOT of knowledgable forum members who share their wisdom and we all appreciate it. (And I also don't get the thing about the package - it is easy to send stuff out, just not to get stuff in...)

Also, expo78, the comments about hiring immigration lawyers are a bit condescending to those forum members who have chosen to work with a lawyer, for different reasons. I am sure they have considered their options and made the decision that is best for them. I am very impressed with those who have gone through the citizenship process alone, more power to them, but it is not the right choice for everyone.
 
I have to agree with Steve here - to come and post about being a great resource, but clearly not having ready anything here, is a bit weird! There are a LOT of knowledgeable forum members who share their wisdom and we all appreciate it. (And I also don't get the thing about the package - it is easy to send stuff out, just not to get stuff in...)

Great point about sending things out, but for the difference in cost of shipping from Argentina versus the USA, it would be possible to buy higher quality items on the list to have sent to Mom.

I think that expo78 (if he is real) is simply trying to get half a container of stuff to Argentina by offering to help someone get temporary residency. That would open up a six month window for them to bring their own household goods to Argentina. Even if expo78 pays his share of the of the shipping costs it's clear the goal is to get the stuff here without paying the import taxes. The temporary resident will remain liable for the taxes when their residency expires unless they take everything back home with them, including the stuff they brought for expo78

Also, expo78, the comments about hiring immigration lawyers are a bit condescending to those forum members who have chosen to work with a lawyer, for different reasons. I am sure they have considered their options and made the decision that is best for them. I am very impressed with those who have gone through the citizenship process alone, more power to them, but it is not the right choice for everyone.

In all fairness I think it's important to make the distinction between paying a lawyer for obtaining residency and apply for citizenship. I actually agree that paying a lawyer or an agency $2000 USD to get residency is insane. The only reason to pay a lawyer might be to overcome an obstacle like a blemish on a criminal report that otherwise would prevent someone from obtaining residency. Anyone who has a "clean" record and meets the other requirements will get their visa.

Anyone with a DNI who has been "living" in Argentina for two years can apply for citizenship on their own. They may even be able to start the process a year after setting foot on Argentine soil for the first time. Some courts might still "require" permanent residency but I believe that law was abolished almost 20 years ago. Those who have no DNI may indeed need the help of an attorney.There are at least two who have been recommended (based on their success) here in the forum: Gabriel Celano and Christian Rubilar.
 
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