Work Visa Renewal

Lala

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Has anyone had to renew a work visa here? I need to this week, and hope to do it without a lawyer, but I am not sure what "continuidad laboral" means.

Apparently I need to present that, but I am not sure if it is simply a letter from my company signed by an escribano which states my CUIL, their CUIT, and confirms I do still work for them, or if it is a more formal contract-like format.

Thanks!
 
Lala said:
Has anyone had to renew a work visa here? I need to this week, and hope to do it without a lawyer, but I am not sure what "continuidad laboral" means.

Apparently I need to present that, but I am not sure if it is simply a letter from my company signed by an escribano which states my CUIL, their CUIT, and confirms I do still work for them, or if it is a more formal contract-like format.

Thanks!

you can do it without a lawyer. it is very easy and formal stuff. "continuidad laboral" means that you are still inscribed at AFIP with your CUIL and that they know that your company have paid each month your "obra social". nothing else.

but be sure that if you have a time limited contract (like 1 year) that you have a renewed one before you go to Migraciones. If you have a "non limit" contract you don't need it but it is better to have a copy with you because often they want to have one again and again.

bye alex
 
Thanks for the info, Alex! I got the visa renewed this morning, so I figured I´d post the full list of what they asked for:

1. Carta de Contunidad Laboral
2. AFIP Constancia de Inscripcion (download from afip.gob.ar with Company´s CUIT)
3. AFIP Aportes (download from afip.gob.ar with employee CUIL)
4. Requirentes - This your employer should have. It is proof that they are registered with Migraciones to hire foreigners.
5. Last 9 pay stubs
6. Antecedentes penales
7. Passport
8. Photocopy of first page of passport
9. 600 pesos

Make sure you go with copies of everything. They will keep the originals of:

1. Carta de Continuidad laboral
2. Antecedentes

They will keep copies of the rest of the list.
 
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Hi Lala.. can I ask how did you get the work visa to begin with? in australia the argentinian embassy is telling me there is no such thing as a working holiday visa. I am wanting to come down to work in BA but don't really have a company to sponsor me so cannot apply for a work visa as I dont have an employer. Not sure what to do.
 
Hi sharron8! In all honesty, it´s really not very easy to get a work visa here. What I did was arrive in BA, and apply to every position I could find. I wasn´t picky, and had a few versions of my resume that highlighted different skill sets according to what the position required. I was also already fluent in Spanish before I arrived. I really think luck is a huge part of it. You also have to do virtually everything yourself - know what you need, talk your employer into investing in you as a foreigner, etc. because alot of companies see expats as flight risks, especially if they are not here for family or a relationship, and it is really expensive and a process for them to register with migraciones, so they are reluctant to go through all that only to have the employee decide that Argentina, or the job, is not right for them. On top of that, they would have to pay high taxes on your behalf plus provide you with medical insurance. Since it´s pretty easy for them to just hire you and pay you under the table, so they tend to prefer that.

If you are set on coming to Argentina, I would recommend coming and trying your luck. It´s certainly not necessary to have a work visa in order to work here, and I am sure you could make the most of the experience regardless of if a work visa comes through for you or not. Also, many of the positions that I came across which are expat-friendly tend to be sales positions with a very low base salary and then it´s up to you to make up the rest in commissions. Otherwise, you could always try teaching English, and there is alot of info on this site about how to go about doing that.

What type of work had you hoped to find?
 
Hi lala, I have been checking out the forums I think I will take your advice and just come down on a holiday visa for 190 days and then extend till 12 months are up. I plan on teaching English and doing some voluntary work with an orphanage (if I can find one!)
 
Lala said:
Thanks for the info, Alex! I got the visa renewed this morning, so I figured I´d post the full list of what they asked for:

1. Carta de Contunidad Laboral
2. AFIP Constancia de Inscripcion (download from afip.gob.ar with Company´s CUIT)
3. AFIP Aportes (download from afip.gob.ar with employee CUIL)
4. Requirentes - This your employer should have. It is proof that they are registered with Migraciones to hire foreigners.
5. Last 9 pay stubs
6. Antecedentes penales
7. Passport
8. Photocopy of first page of passport
9. 600 pesos

Make sure you go with copies of everything. They will keep the originals of:

1. Carta de Continuidad laboral
2. Antecedentes

They will keep copies of the rest of the list.

Do these requirements also apply to those with irregular residency status? I've already applied for the work visa and DNI but my status has recently become irregular so I now need to "renovar la residencia."

On the migraciones website, it says: Los extranjeros con residencia regular en el país podrán solicitar ante la Dirección Nacional de Migraciones las prórrogas de residencia que correspondieren...

Since I do not have "residencia regular," I'm wondering what the requirements are for renewing a work visa. Start from zero?
 
Hey Hop - sorry for the late response. I moved back to the US a month ago, so it was just by chance I checked this site and saw your post.

From my experience, you will have to start the whole process over. That is what I had to do when I switched jobs in Argentina. My new employer took too long to get its act together with migraciones, so my work visa expired and I had to start from zero. It was only a lapse of a couple of weeks. My first work visa was taken care of through the company's lawyer, so I contacted her again when this happened to see if there was anything that I could do to avoid starting from scratch, but she said no. :(
 
Yes, I've since been to migraciones and they told me the same. I kept meaning to update this post just in case someone else had the same question.

I did have to start from zero BUT because I did not leave Argentina after my first work visa expired, I did NOT need the FBI report, which is the biggest obstacle people from the US encounter when applying for residency.

So, while I did have to start all over, it was quite easy because it was basically just the antecedentes argentinos and the work contract/AFIP constancia, etc. Oh, and the $600 pesos...

Actually, when I wasn't sure if I needed the FBI report, I was banking on the exception listed on the migraciones website that says: CERTIFICADO DE CARENCIA DE ANTECEDENTES PENALES emitidos por las autoridades competentes de los países donde haya residido por un plazo superior a UN (1) año, durante el transcurso de los últimos TRES (3) años.

While I had been living in Argentina for the past three years, I had left the country several times, but not for more than a year. I just didn't know how to prove this other than telling the immigrations officer to sort through the many stamps in my passport. Luckily, I didn't need to.

I will add that I read on the migraciones website and was told by an immigrations officer that there is a 30 day grace period after your work visa expires. My understanding is that if you go to migraciones to renew the visa within 30 days after it expires, you shouldn't have to start from zero.
 
Seems migraciones is consistent (at least in our 2 experiences!) in how they handle these types of cases. I didn't need to get a new copy of my birth certificate or FBI report either.

I guess the thing that most annoyed me was that the clock was reset in terms of getting to the 3 year mark for permanent residency. I lost 2 years with the lapse.

However, I have since learned that if permanent residency is achieved through work visas, if you ever stop working for an Argentine company, you lose the residency. So it's not unconditionally permanent.

I suppose that citizenship is really the most hassle free option, and I may go that route if I ever return to Argentina long-term.
 
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