Job Discussion Forums

[Chepina]

Hi all,
Firstly, my understanding is that Chilean employers are generally supportive/encourage of their teachers applying for work visas. Is that fair to say?
Now, I’ve been speaking to the Chilean embassy in the UK this week about visa requirements for British nationals. I am told that it will cost £518 for a work visa for me (visa sujeta a contrato). I’ve read elsewhere that it’s free to US citizens. Can anybody:

a) confirm whether this is true currently?
b) assuming that employers rather than employees meet the cost (is this right?) and that US citizens do not pay a fee for a work visa, comment on whether employers therefore favour Americans over Brits?

I’d be very grateful for any insights/wisdom/experience/hearsay etc on this matter!

Many thanks.

[Debbs]

Just got back from the Chilean consulate - US citizen = USD580; UK citizen = USD225. To apply, you must have a contract issued in Chile and stamped / authenticated in Chile by about three different people, including a government official of some sort, which you sign at the Consulate in front of the official and which they send back to Chile for approval. The official said that other than differing visa fees, there is no difference between US and UK or any other nationalities; all that matters is that all the pieces of paper they require are submitted and stamped properly. I hope this helps.

[Chepina]

Hi Debbs,

That's certainly very helpful, thanks so much!

Can I ask was this a consulate in the US or the UK? It seems weird that it would be cheaper to get a visa for a UK citizen from a US-based consulate than a UK one... I wouldn't have guessed that it could vary like this but that could also potentially explain the discrepancy between the price the Chilean embassy in the UK quoted me (£518) and the £900 odd that a prospective employer mentioned yesterday (he said the visa cost for UK citizens was "in the order of $1600" (£900 odd) and that he "doubted that I'd find a language institute willing to pay that for me." I'm sure he's right about the latter but former seems to be in dispute!) I've also read £900 on the website "gooverseas" but there's no date on the article so it didn't seem a reliable source of info.

If anybody else from within Chile could shed any light that'd be great.

Good luck with your application Debbs. I have an interview next week so
I'll be sure to post up anything further that I find out and if anybody else has further information that'd be great.

[hannah83]

Hi,
I'm a little confused can somebody clarify...
During a recent interview for a language school in Santiago, I was advised that the visa for a UK national would be £840. In comparison to the above comments, this price seems excessive. Can anybody advise?