Argentina Residency

[Schmoj]

Well things have not changed in 20 years. When I lived in Argentina, (where I am originally from) to get a passport was a similar ordeal.

You had to go to the central police department, where long lines formed, and you would spend more than half a day to complete the required paperwork.

Of course there was always the recourse of paying somebody, a "connected" person, which is what I did (well actually my company did) and get the paperwork done in less than an hour.

It was fun to walk past the lines accompanied by this person, who would talk briefly to the policeman controlling the access, and get to go to the next stage in the process.

It's still exactly the same. My company hires an attorney to renew my visa / dni every year. Basically that entails submitting a bunch of paper work related to taxes, etc. Of the company and hiring someone to push me through the lines at Migraciones and the DNI office.

I found out that they pay around 800 U$D for this. Glad it ain't me.

[Banana Rep]

Well things have not changed in 20 years. When I lived in Argentina, (where I am originally from) to get a passport was a similar ordeal.

You had to go to the central police department, where long lines formed, and you would spend more than half a day to complete the required paperwork.

Of course there was always the recourse of paying somebody, a "connected" person, which is what I did (well actually my company did) and get the paperwork done in less than an hour.

It was fun to walk past the lines accompanied by this person, who would talk briefly to the policeman controlling the access, and get to go to the next stage in the process.

[Airplane]

This is some further information about my experience getting a visa and DNI. It might give someone waiting to present their papers to get a DNI an idea of what to expect. My first post about this was on 10-26-08. Maybe this should be in the DNI thread.

This is about the day of my appointment, 8-3-09, to present my papers for a DNI.

The appointment was for between 10:00 and 11:00. I got there at 09:30. I was told to get in the line that went to the corner of Peron, from there to Alem and from there halfway down that block. It took 2 1/2 hours to get back to the front door.

There were people, who for a fee, would move you up in the line. Someone in line told me they were asked for A$R 80 to do this. There were also people offering to take the required photos for you for A$R 30-45. The fee inside the building for photos is A$R 5.

They give you a number when you enter the building. You go to an area on the right where many others are waiting. Supposedly, they will call this number when they want to see you to verify if you have all of the required papers. My experience from when I made the appointment, and this day, is that they just take whoever is next in line and the numbers are mostly not used.

If you have the required papers, they give you another number. You then wait in the same area for this number to be called. They do call these new numbers, in groups of 20-25.

One of the required papers is a certificado de domicilio that you get from the police. I didn't have time to get one, so I gave them a bill I get from my health insurance. They will also take utility bills in your name and with an Argentina address.

When this second number is called you go downstairs and wait some more. They call your number here and you get in a line to see someone who will make some entries in a computer.

After that you wait to get a paper at one side of the cashier area. When you get this paper you give it to the cashier and pay the A$R 15 fee for the DNI at the other side of the cashier area.

If you need a photo, go to the photo area and pay A$R 5 for 2 photos.

You then wait for them to call your name to take your fingerprints. You give a photo and your papers to this person. After that, you're finished.

They give you some papers with instructions on what to do when you return in 6 months to pick up the document.

The total time I was there was 7 hours. The total time I actually did something with the 5 people who I had to see, was probably at most 20 minutes.

[Jackpot]

When I received my DNI, nothing was mentioned about income or pension funding or amounts. The income information documents are detailed in my original explanation.

Sorry, but I don't have a clue about being a rentista.

Best you go to Immigration and get answers at the source.

Good Luck,

Jackpot

[Bodhi]

Hi Jackpot,

Presently I am too young to collect social security payments, as a Jubilado, and when I get them the amount will be small indeed. But one is aware that the minimum amount of a Retiree from outside Argentina, to qualify for residency thus, is or was $2000 pesos.

Was a minimum required from you to obtain a DNI as Jubilado, and how do they wish to see the evidence? Any further info about the current qualifications, etc. As aforementioned above, for DNI as Rentinsta?

Many thanks,

Bodhi

[Jackpot]

Yesterday, I went down to the US embassy to get a document from the US. Social Security department that states I receive a monthly check of $xxx as a pension payment, and this payment is paid for the remainder of my life.

I need this to qualify as a "Jubilado" or retiree under the new changes to the Residency program decreed by the fickle Argie government.

The embassy Soc. Security office has a link to the office in the US and can get direct access to all records housed in Washington. After a wait of 10 minutes, this document was produced and signed by an Embassy official. It was also entirely in Espanol which saved translation costs and hassels.

I was given an instruction sheet in English that directed me to go to 819 Arenales / Esmeralda, This a huge building called the Chancerly (sp? And in the basement, they issue Apostillas (a certification for documents) which make the documents certified usable for requirements of the Arg. Government.

The wait lines moved along and after paying 52 pesos, I waited in another line to present the paper. I was instructed to return in an hour to pick up the apostilla attached to the Soc Sec document.

Good to their word, I picked up the docs all stamped together. This should satisfy the immigration folks I am a retiree and fulfill the income requirements to qualify for residency.

Now I wait to May 20th to present the residency package to Immigration.

(Soc Sec rept. Criminal history in Argentina, DNI card)

This process shows apostillas can be obtained here for docs originated in Arg.

Docs from the USA must be done in the USA, so you cannot bring stateside stuff here and get it certified.

Hope this helps those in the residency Chase.

Jackpot

[Thomaso276]

There is a new system for the final renewal. It is a little more complicated than before but is explained on the web page for immigration. No more showing up, must call this number (5222-7177) to make an appt. I called this morning, phones were quickly attended, asked for an english speaker and got appt. For May 20

Sr. Extranjero a partir del día 03/04/2009 para solicitar su residencia en nuestro país why / o cambiar la categoría de la misma, deberá sacar turno para su atención en el horario de 8 a 16 Hs. Llamando al 5222-7117 (líneas rotativas) Este número NO es para informes. A tal efecto comunicarse con el 0800-333-728742 o 4317-0234 al 0238.

A PARTIR DEL 06/04/09 NO SE OTORGAN MAS NUMEROS EN ESTA SEDE CENTRAL.

Look in this page http://www.migraciones.gov.ar/ for the tab about decreto 1169 which is the special program they had that most of us used. Extra Mercusor.

• UD. PODRÁ PRESENTARSE, DESDE UN MES ANTES DEL VENCIMIENTO DE SU RESIDENCIA TEMPORARIA, A FIN DE ADJUNTAR LA SIGUIENTE DOCUMENTACIÓN, CONFORME EL ART. 11 DEL DECRETO 1169/04:

1- CERTIFICADO DE ANTECEDENTES PENALES ARGENTINOS ACTUALIZADOS.

2- ACREDITACIÓN DE MEDIOS LICITOS DE VIDA, SEGÚN LA ACTIVIDAD QUE USTED DESARROLLA, CUYOS REQUISITOS SE DETALLAN A CONTINUACIÓN:

A- Si Ud. Es Trabajador en relación de dependencia deberá presentar: Certificación de servicio en original suscripta por las partes ante Escribano Público o agente migratorio al inicio de la solicitud de cambio de categoría, en la que deben figurar, del empleador, nombre why apellido o razón social, Nº de CUIT, domicilio why teléfono why, del empleado, nombre why apellido, Nº de CUIL, fecha de ingreso, tarea desarrollada why remuneración bruta. Último recibo de sueldo suscripto por el empleador.

Be- Si Ud. Es Monotributista deberá presentar: Copia certificada de la constancia de inscripción como monotributista why recibos de pago correspondientes al último ejercicio fiscal.

C- Si Ud. Es Responsable Inscripto ante el IVA deberá presentar: Copia certificada de la Declaración Jurada de Impuesto a las Ganancias correspondiente al último ejercicio fiscal why del comprobante de pago de dicho impuesto. Copia certificada de la presentación ante la AFIP de la posición del IVA why liquidación mensual del mismo. Copia certificada del comprobante de pago de aportes al régimen autónomos u otros regímenes especiales.

D- Si Ud. Es Jubilado o Pensionado deberá presentar: Último recibo original de haberes o copia debidamente certificada. Si estuviera expedido en el extranjero deberá contar con su correspondiente traducción, si la necesitase why legalización efectuada en Argentina por Traductor Público Nacional, why legalización ante el Consulado Argentino o Apostille.

E- Si Ud. Esta casado / a why no se encuentra comprendido en los puntos a, be, c o d deberá presentar: Documentación que acredite su matrimonio, con las legalizaciones why traducciones necesarias why la acreditación de alguno de los puntos anteriores por parte de su cónyuge.

3- ACREDITACIÓN DE IDENTIDAD CON DOCUMENTACIÓN VIGENTE.

• SE LE OTORGARÁ UN COMPROBANTE DE LA DOCUMENTACIÓN PRESENTADA (SIEMPRE QUE ESTA ESTUVIERA COMPLETA) JUNTO CON EL PAGO DE LA TASA CORRESPONDIENTE why SE LE ASIGNARÁ UNA FECHA DE PRESENTACIÓN (ANTERIOR AL VENCIMIENTO DE SU RESIDENCIA TEMPORARIA) A FIN DE RETIRAR, SI CORRESPONDIESE, LA DISPOSICIÓN DE SU RESIDENCIA PERMANENTE.

• EL TRÁMITE ES PERSONAL why NO NECESITA LA INTERVENCIÓN DE TERCEROS.

• LA DOCUMENTACIÓN PRECITADA TIENE UNA VALIDEZ DE 60 (SESENTA) DÍAS CORRIDOS DESDE SU FECHA DE EMISIÓN.

4- TASA: $600

Copy and paste to free translation.com for english.

Looks like they have reverted to the basic requirements for residence: job, business, pension or marriage. They want some docs translated and appostilled from the States. Spoke to a girl their this morning and she said these basics will preclude many foreigners who got in the program from getting permanent residence. She said many Chinese will not be able to qualify (work off the books, no pension, not married to argie)

[Thomaso276]

My DNI renews in early May so I thought I would get the AP from Immigration earlyt to avoid the Chinese rush sure to follow. You can get the AP from Immigration (behind the Sheraton) for use only with Immigration issues (this limits the lines) avoiding the nightmare of Tucuman where thousands go for clearance for work issues.

Anyhow, webpage says 730 am to 130 pm. Got there at around 8am Tues and there was a short line in the big open air hallway (the line is marked Policia / Informes along the left wall as you approach the building, hallway) ignore the other two lines. Never go on Mondays.

Get inside in about ten minutes and the lady says they are not giving out any more applications - that means they maxed out in 30 minutes. Apparently it is vacation time so they have only two people working, so they probably give out about 50 apps every morning and then they have to fingerprint those folks all before 1-130 pm.

Went back this morning at 6:20 am - number 10 in line. When they opened at 730 there were probably 50-60 people in line. You shuffle in select your service (2 days or one week) and price (40 pesos for two day turnaround) they give you the form and you leave to go to Banco Ciudad on N Alem address is on the form, just a couple of blocks away.

Banks don't open till 10 am so you have time to kill. I live nearby so I went home, returned to the bank at 9:45, about 50 people waiting in line. The bank has several tellers dedicated to taking this fee. Pretty quick.

Take paperwork back to Immigration and get prints taken electronically. I noticed there is a sign on the table that no more apps are given out today. I don;t know when they put it up but I would guess around 8 or 830. They hit their limit quickly. One guy taking prints while another women is processing apps, confirming they are accurate. Seems to me the group I was in had all been there around 630-7. Some folks that had been in line after 7 or so were not present for prints or at the bank.

Remember to bring a copy of your DNI (personal info pages) and or passport (I had both) AP is good for three months according to webpage and the lady did ask to see the dates on my DNI apparently ensuring that I would not have done this in vain - remember I am there a couple of months before my renewal but the AP should be good till around May 20th.

Bring a pen as they don't sell any in the area. And the nearest copy place is in Retiro Bus Area.

[Capn Rick]

My experience here in MarDel is that Mondays are not good days to go to government offices. Oddly, the Tuesday after a national holiday Monday has been good with short / no lines and quick, cheerful service.

My best experiences have been when going to government offices Tuesday thru Thursday between the hours of 1230 and 1330. My guess is that people who are trying to get their business done before going to work are causing lines out the door and down the block during morning hours after opening.

Suerte

[Facundo]

I recently got a rentista visa. My experience was similar to that reported by Penguin on 08-08-06 in this thread.

Because it has been a couple of years since his report and there were some minor differences in the way things went for me, I thought I would mention them. Maybe they can help someone.

I went to the same consulate. The consulate you deal with depends on which state you live in. I did this entirely on my own. The documents that are required, you have to get on your own, anyway. The consulate can answer any questions about what is needed.

Getting the instructions for the visa from the consulate took 2 weeks from when I first called them. I even went there to ask for them. I was always told that they would email them to me tomorrow.

They wanted a police record check from the FBI, only. The FBI website explains what you have to do to get one.

The visa instructions said that the visa application form and the affidavit form were available from the consulate website. At the time I did this, in August, they weren't. I got the forms from the Argentine Embassy website. But when I was at the consulate to present my papers to them, they had me fill out forms that they had, which were slightly different from the ones that I got online.

I got an income letter from my broker. It was difficult to get them to understand exactly what it was I needed and some way they could say it without committing themselves to anything. It ended up not saying what the consulate wanted. After giving me a bad time about this for a while at the consulate, they accepted it.

The translation service cost me US 20 cents per word. That included notarization. Apostille for me was U$S 15 per document.

I had to get a prepaid shipping envelope, FEDEX for example, so they could send me my visa. I received it the following week. The Labor Day holiday slowed things down.

Here, I took the 2nd envelope to the Registro Nacional de las Personas, in 25 de Mayo 155. Since I didn't know what the hours were there, I went between 9:00 and 10:00. There were long lines outside. I showed the envelope to the guard and was let in. I showed it again to the guard inside and was sent to a counter that goes across the back. There is a sign on a column behind the counter near the right hand side of it, "sobres consulares".

That's where you wait for someone to notice you.

Someone looked at my visa and opened the envelope and looked at my birth certificate. It had been translated, but I was told that it had to be translated here and certified by the Colegio de Traductores Publicos. They have a website, www.traductores.org.ar where you can find a translator. The translation cost me A$R 150 plus A$R 30 for the certification.

I was told to come back between 6:00 and 9:00 A. M. Mon-Fri, with the new translation, to get an appointment to present my papers to get a DNI.

I recommend going early. I got there around 7:00. There wasn't any line outside. There was a long line inside. It took almost 2 1/2 hours to get to talk to someone.

They looked at what I had and told me to also bring a copy of my passport and a Certificado de Domicilio to my appointment. There was never any mention of the envelope that I gave to immigration at Ezeiza.

I was there on October 17. The appointment I got to present my papers for a DNI is for August 3, 2009!

Airplane,

Congratulations on getting this far along on your way to getting the DNI. The date they gave you, since it's very specific, is only to submit your documents. After they accept your documents they will tell you to return in 6 months for the DNI. Of course, if they see any problems with your documents it will delay the process another six months.

They are so overwhelmed with Mercosur applications for residency / DNI that they cannot process them quickly (the system is overwhelmed, this year they have processed, if I'm to believe them, 600,000 aplications for DNIs)

I got lucky with my application for the DNI. When they gave me residency in October of 2007, I had to wait only 30 days to submit my application for the DNI. However, it took about seven months to receive my DNI. I believe I got the DNI after 7 months because I got know a few people at 25 de mayo and pushed hard for them to speed the process up.

Suerte

[Airplane]

I recently got a rentista visa. My experience was similar to that reported by Penguin on 08-08-06 in this thread.

Because it has been a couple of years since his report and there were some minor differences in the way things went for me, I thought I would mention them. Maybe they can help someone.

I went to the same consulate. The consulate you deal with depends on which state you live in. I did this entirely on my own. The documents that are required, you have to get on your own, anyway. The consulate can answer any questions about what is needed.

Getting the instructions for the visa from the consulate took 2 weeks from when I first called them. I even went there to ask for them. I was always told that they would email them to me tomorrow.

They wanted a police record check from the FBI, only. The FBI website explains what you have to do to get one.

The visa instructions said that the visa application form and the affidavit form were available from the consulate website. At the time I did this, in August, they weren't. I got the forms from the Argentine Embassy website. But when I was at the consulate to present my papers to them, they had me fill out forms that they had, which were slightly different from the ones that I got online.

I got an income letter from my broker. It was difficult to get them to understand exactly what it was I needed and some way they could say it without committing themselves to anything. It ended up not saying what the consulate wanted. After giving me a bad time about this for a while at the consulate, they accepted it.

The translation service cost me US 20 cents per word. That included notarization. Apostille for me was U$S 15 per document.

I had to get a prepaid shipping envelope, FEDEX for example, so they could send me my visa. I received it the following week. The Labor Day holiday slowed things down.

Here, I took the 2nd envelope to the Registro Nacional de las Personas, in 25 de Mayo 155. Since I didn't know what the hours were there, I went between 9:00 and 10:00. There were long lines outside. I showed the envelope to the guard and was let in. I showed it again to the guard inside and was sent to a counter that goes across the back. There is a sign on a column behind the counter near the right hand side of it, "sobres consulares".

That's where you wait for someone to notice you.

Someone looked at my visa and opened the envelope and looked at my birth certificate. It had been translated, but I was told that it had to be translated here and certified by the Colegio de Traductores Publicos. They have a website, www.traductores.org.ar where you can find a translator. The translation cost me A$R 150 plus A$R 30 for the certification.

I was told to come back between 6:00 and 9:00 A.M. Mon-Fri, with the new translation, to get an appointment to present my papers to get a DNI.

I recommend going early. I got there around 7:00. There wasn't any line outside. There was a long line inside. It took almost 2 1/2 hours to get to talk to someone.

They looked at what I had and told me to also bring a copy of my passport and a Certificado de Domicilio to my appointment. There was never any mention of the envelope that I gave to immigration at Ezeiza.

I was there on October 17. The appointment I got to present my papers for a DNI is for August 3, 2009!

[Bacchus9]

It seems like only yesterday I was lying in a hotel in downtown, crime infested Santiago de Chile waiting for the Argentina consulate to make the final stamps on my paperwork so I could return to Argentina WITH my empresario visa.

These visas are probably easier to acquire if you're part of a big company in the US, interested in investigating or starting a business in Argentina, that can easily provide the documentation they want. My US company being a sole proprietorship required business and personal documentation and it drug out over a year. I'm happy to answer questions by e-mail if you're interested.

Fortunately renewing the visa is a lot easier, although it renews year to year and they said there's no permanent visa after several renewals.

The section for renewal is Prorrogas, a quiet section in the second main room of Immigraciones, turning left from the entranceway.

They required two forms that require a legal entity here to verify:

- a legal statement from an Argentine accountant regards the earnings of the company (which was simply a monthly tally of income)

- a legal statement about the structure of the company (partners and percentages)

- proof of payment of Argentine taxes, last six monthly payments. (Monotributo monthly payments and printed out receipt of each online payment)

- copies of the last entry stamp in passport and copy of the photo page of passport.

- 200 pesos.

- passport for entering the new visa stamp.

Once you've received the new visa stamp you can go to the office on 25 de Mayo betweeen 7 am and 10 am with your passport, a copy of the passport photo page, a copy of the passport visa page and your DNI and there's a little area in the Extranjero DNI where they date and sign the DNI renewal (allegedly a quick process - I'll find out tomorrow morning)

Piece of piss compared to the first time. Hope this helps someone.

[Boss Man]

You win Facundo,

It is obvious that we are talking apples and oranges. I was simply stating that in a case where comparable persons (as in the same financial status, since they don't want poor Americans or Euros who can't prove sufficient income or pension either) from the EU US or Mercosur were applying for residency, preference would be given to the Mercosur citizen because of the whole regional integration accords and Argentina's very own liberal immigration laws.

You are speaking specifically about the majority poor that come here in the hundreds of thousands, and to be honest I don't have any idea how it works out for them. But the only good thing I hear you saying is that the government still issues them the precaria it just takes them a year to wade through all the paperwork of hundreds of thousands of application as opposed to the tens of thousands from other countries. It makes sense: ten times as many applications equals ten times the waiting period, but I do hope they speed things up.

Cheers and thanks for volunteering, Argentina needs more people like you.

[Facundo]

Boss man,

May I suggest you speak directely with immigration, the consulate of Paraguay, and the numerous sites in Boca, Villa Lugano, etc. who are processing the hundreds of thousands of applications from Mercosur residents and see how long it has taken them to process residency applications. The majority of applicants were given the precaria well over a year and a half ago and now they are beginning to issue the two year residency letters. Also, they are overwhelmed with applicants who are in this country illegally. How do I know this. I am a volunteer, I help some of these poor people who do not have visas and who entered this country illegally. I talk to the folks at immigaration and the paraguayan counsel weekly. We already know, if one has money and can demonstrate they can live here without working it's easy to get residency. All the Bolivians, Paraguayans, etc. I help, need my help in getting the Certificado de Pobrezza because they can't afford the 200 peso application fee. I agree, Argentina needs workers, the majority of these people can't say they are here to retire. If they had money, they would stay in their own country and live like kings and queens. Boss man, you are talking about a small group of applicants, I'm talking about the almost one million mercosur residents who are filing for residency.

Boss man no offense, but I would like to suggest you go to the Immigration office and speak to the folks of Patria Grande and see what you learn.

Facundo, no offense BUT:

You might want to research your post a little bit more before you misinform others. And to do so you might want to read these two links.

http://www.patriagrande.gov.ar/html/home.htm

http://www.mininterior.gov.ar/migrac...n_mercosur.asp

I personally have three different passports, a US passport, a European Passport and a Mercosur passport. I initially contacted AFN Visas, they supposedly know everything there is to know about Argentina Visas and surprise surprise. The told me the easiest way to get an Argentine residency was through my Mercosur Passport. I initially wanted to use my US passport, but I was told unless I was a retiree with a proven pension, I would be run through loops to get my visa and in the end I could be denied.

Do you know what the requirements for a Mercosur citizen are for a residency ?
A) My DNI or Passport

B) My Passport or last entry slip

C) Criminal record for the last 5 years.

D) Criminal record for Argentina.

That's it.

I received my 90 day temporary that day day and within a month I had my 2 year residency. After two years it becomes permanent. Total cost 250 pesos.

It seems you are running on old data. Mercosur has in the past 2 years done it's best to normalize and streamline immigration between countries and minimize the visa requirements and although it might cause some paperwork delays, it is working. Argentina, in particular has been very proactive about legalizing all Mercosur immigrants ( about 70% of which are from Paraguay ) that is WHY you see hundreds of thousands of legal Mercosur residents. But to be honest Mercosur is becoming old news UNASUR is the next phase. You should read up on it, it is actually quite interesting. A full Union should be agreed upon by their next meeting in January 2008, at which time residency Visas might not even be needed anymore. A full economic union should happen around 2019. Here is a link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_o...erican_Nations

The one thing you are correct about is that they prefer retired immigrants with pensions sufficient enough to meet their 1000 dollar minimum pention requirements. Younger residents from Mercosur most likely won't come with 1000 dollar pensions, but they will come to work, and in a sense (like in the USA) the labor is needed by the local economy, but it also adds some pressure to the local laborers as well. No one likes a cheaper work force, well at least the lower and middle class don't. The wealthy love it. They love hiring Paraguayans (the majority of immigrants) and Bolivians (a lesser but still substantial minority of immigrants) for menial labor. There are also a high number of middle class professionals that immigrate here to work, though the salaries are comparable in their home country (must either be the Argentine beef or the Argentine ass that keeps them coming)

But just to let you know, I know many Americans here who are finding it VERY difficult to find a Visa the qualify for (I am talking about young Americans 20's-30's) But a universal fact is " IT IS HARD MOVING ANYWHERE WHEN YOU ARE POOR AND OR YOUNG, NO ONE WANTS YOU ". But if you are old and have a pension or young and have lot's of money EVERYONE wants you

[Boss Man]

Facundo, no offense BUT:

You might want to research your post a little bit more before you misinform others. And to do so you might want to read these two links.

http://www.patriagrande.gov.ar/html/home.htm

http://www.mininterior.gov.ar/migrac...n_mercosur.asp

I personally have three different passports, a US passport, a European Passport and a Mercosur passport. I initially contacted AFN Visas, they supposedly know everything there is to know about Argentina Visas and surprise surprise. They told me the easiest way to get an Argentine residency was through my Mercosur Passport. I initially wanted to use my US passport, but I was told unless I was a retiree with a proven pension, I would be run through loops to get my visa and in the end I could be denied.

Do you know what the requirements for a Mercosur citizen is for a residency ?

A) My DNI or Passport

B) My Passport or last entry slip

C) Criminal record for the last 5 years.

D) Criminal record for Argentina.

That's it.

I received my 90 day temporary that same day and within a month I had my 2 year residency. After two years it becomes permanent. Total cost 250 pesos.

It seems you are running on old data. Mercosur has in the past 2 years done it's best to normalize and streamline immigration between countries and minimize the visa requirements and although it might cause some paperwork delays, it is working. Argentina, in particular has been very proactive about legalizing all Mercosur immigrants (about 70% of which are from Paraguay) that is WHY you see hundreds of thousands of legal Mercosur residents. But to be honest Mercosur is becoming old news UNASUR is the next phase. You should read up on it, it is actually quite interesting. A full Union should be agreed upon by their next meeting in January 2008, at which time residency Visas might not even be needed anymore. A full economic union should happen around 2019. Here is a link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_o...erican_Nations

A- Identidad: la identidad se acredita con el Pasaporte, Cédula de Identidad o Certificado de Nacionalidad VIGENTES.

Be- Ultimo Ingreso al país: Se acredita mediante el sello estampado por la autoridad migratoria en el Pasaporte o Tarjeta de Ingreso correspondiente, o bien mediante Certificado de Ingreso extendido por el Area Certificaciones de la DNM (Hipólito Yrigoyen 952, CABA) o bien mediante declaración jurada.

C- Certificado de antecedentes penales del país de origen o del lugar donde hubiere residido los últimos 5 años anteriores a su arribo (sólo para los que hubieren ingresado al país siendo mayores de 16 años)

D- Certificado de antecedentes de la Policía Federal Argentina o del Registro Nacional de Reincidencia (sólo para mayores de 18 años): se tramita en el Edificio Nº 4 de la DNM en el horario de 9 a 12, o en la calle Azopardo 620 (Policía Federal Argentina) o Tucumán 1353 (Registro Nacional de Reincidencia) ambos en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires.

The one thing you are correct about is that they prefer retired immigrants with pensions sufficient enough to meet their 1000 dollar minimum pention requirements. Younger residents from Mercosur most likely won't come with 1000 dollar pensions, but they will come to work, and in a sense (like in the USA) the labor is needed by the local economy, but it also adds some pressure to the local laborers as well. No one likes a cheaper work force, well at least the lower and middle class don't. The wealthy love it. They love hiring Paraguayans (the majority of immigrants) and Bolivians (a lesser but still substantial minority of immigrants) for menial labor. There are also a high number of middle class professionals that immigrate here to work, though the salaries are comparable in their home country (must either be the Argentine beef or the Argentine ass that keeps them coming)

But just to let you know, I know many Americans here who are finding it VERY difficult to find a Visa they qualify for (I am talking about young Americans 20's-30's) But a universal fact is " IT IS HARD MOVING ANYWHERE WHEN YOU ARE POOR AND OR YOUNG, NO ONE WANTS YOU ". But if you are old and have a pension or young and have lot's of money EVERYONE wants you