Very Specific Visa Case, Grad Student On Fieldwork

[jbaz]

Hello everyone,

I've been sifting through the many, many posts on visas and residency here in BsAs, and really appreciate all the hard work so many different people have put into answering visa questions. I couldn't quite find an answer to my specific case, so I'm hoping I can ask for even more insight on the visa issue.

I am a graduate student at a university in the US, and am going to be doing about a years worth of fieldowrk in Buenos Aires for my disseration. I am currently in BsAs on a tourist visa, and will be returning in late Spetember to the US for a a few weeks. This leg was less than 90 day stay, no problems there.

The rub is that when I return in late October, I plan to stay for another 9 months or so. (Roughly until August 2016). I know I can just do tourist visas and either renew then at Migraciones in Retiro, or head to Colonia every few months. It also seems like those can be risky options, as I don't want to win/lose the "ultima porroga" lottery.

I am not taking classes in BsAs. I do have an affiliation with a university here, but I am not an employee, and they will not be paying me (think "visiting scholar", but cheaper). I seem to be in a bit of a twilight zone, given that student visas demand I be enrolled somewhere, and "academic" visas seem to demand that I be employed somewhere.

Given your collective wisdom on the subject, what do you think I should do? Play the tourist visa game? Is an affiliation without any actual "hiring" enough to get me an academic visa?

Thanks in advance for all your help. See you in the streets!

-joe

 

[andesmandes]

I don't think you would have any problems staying 9 month with a couple of trips abroad by land (Santiago, Viña del Mar, Valparaiso...) or by ferry (Colonia, Montevideo...).

You could also just stay the 9 months (without any trips abroad) and pay a fine at the end. I personally would do a coupe of trips abroad, though and see more than just Argentina. But some on this forum (incl. an immigration expert) have mentioned that it is safer to just overstay and pay the fine than doing the border run trips.

 

[citygirl]

9 months is not going to be an issue. You can stay for 90 days, do an extension if you want at Migraciones although traveling is more fun and then leave for a day or weekend or whatever and return for the last 90 days (although while you're here - travel! Go somewhere fun for a few days outside of Argentina). Alternately yes, you could just pay the overstay fee when you leave.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

Overstay.