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vivaBarca

Does anyone have any experience with gaining a work visa? I�m in a bit of a catch-22...I�ve found an employer I�d like to work for, but he insists I can�t work for him unless I have a visa - and yet, he won�t sponsor me, so I can�t get the visa. He claims the time and effort isn�t his to make...the onus is on me. All possible shadiness aside, I�m entertaining the possibility of procuring a work visa, and I have just a few questions:

-Has anyone used that company, I believe they�re called �ARCA� or �ALCA?� Do you know their quotes for a visa?

-If I do utilize a visa expediter, what is the quickest amount of time I can expect to receive the visa? If I don�t utilize the expediter, how long would I wait, normally, for the bureacratic process to run it�s course?

-Any general tips, suggestions, etc...would all be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

veggieboy · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 32 Location: Buenos Aires

The company is ARCA.

I don't know a hell of a lot about them. I have heard anecdotal evidence of them charging a few/several hundred dollars for student visas and a few thousand dollars for investor visas. But this is strictly anecdotal. I took a quick look and didn't see prices on their site, so you'd have to call for details.

Something else to keep in mind is the possibility that you may have to return to your home country to get the work visa in the consulate there, even though, yes, you're already here. I know it works this way in many countries -- not sure about Argentina.

In fact, come to think of it, I haven't even heard of work visas here. I've heard of people investing/starting a business and getting a visa that way. Or getting residency under the amnesty decree. But not about work visas. I wonder if your employer would have to prove that there is no Argentine available to fill the job he wants to give you. I know that's the (basic) standard in some countries.

Depending on how much ARCA charges, how good your Spanish is and how daring you're feeling, don't rule out doing the process yourself. Last year I took advantage of the amnesty decree and did the tr�mites for that and for my DNI myself.

It was admittedly a royal pain in the ass and there was a bit of waiting around involved. But I'm sure I saved myself a ton of money. And, of course, I earned the deep satisfaction of navigating the bureaucratic miasma myself.

YanquiQuilme�o · Joined: 20 Oct 2005 Posts: 122 Location: Quilmes, Argentina

According to Argentine law, you are required to return home to your own country and wait for the visa. I was told at Migraciones that if you can convince them that it's really impossible/inconvenient, then maybe you can just go to Uruguay to get the visa ... but I doubt it.

I just met a German who get married to an Argentine woman a few years ago ... it took 2 years for his documents to arrive once he started the process.

Good luck, Viva.

ATTORNEY

if you dont have your sponsor then you will have to make yourself eligible
for other types of VISAs.

One of the main problems of argentine employees is that their employers hire them under the table evading social security taxes...so employers finally find a foreigner who will be willing to work under the table (and happy about it) and what happens? They want him to get the working visa. Crazy hehehe.

I heard ARCA is expensive but that they are really good.

Mmmm...between 3 to 6 months. I dont think that just cos you use an expediter it will rush things...it will be the same time. Except you do things wrongly and for that reason things get delayed.

Try to apply yourself without help or expeditors, but figure out if you can squeeze in any other category....If you dont have the help of your employer then you dont qualify for that visa (you need him to sing a contract and file the petition).

Good Luck, cheers...

vivaBarca · Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 3:04 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the responses. I don�t even know if I�ll still be here in 6 months...so I guess this crazy working �legally� idea is pretty much out the question, unless, say I get offered a job as CEO of Quilmes or something fantastic like that.

veggieboy · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 32 Location: Buenos Aires

Curiosity has gotten the better of me -- what kind of job was it?

gigisehr · Joined: 24 Feb 2006 Posts: 17

I think you can work on a student visa, if you were willing to go through the trouble of applying to a school and losing the deposit, since you would have to enroll full time. But either way you have to go back home to apply for it. Attorney, do you have any idea about this? This is how I was thinking to get down there.

ATTORNEY · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 3:23 pm Post subject: Re: working on a student visa?

Yes, you can work on a student visa. The only problem is that starting April 1st. 2006 a new "disposici�n" (resolution/regulation) from DNM will take effect (numer 2726/2006). It basically makes things a little bit more complicated and formal...the universities must request your visa authorization, then you go back to the argentine consulate in ur home country to pick it up. You will probably get a residencia temporaria for 1 or 2 years, for renewal you need a certification of the University stating that you are a student (estudiante regular)...

Cheers.