Immigration to Argentina

Buenos Aires is the heart and capital of Argentina and the best city to live in the country! The city of tango, football, tourists and the largest seaport of the coast, founded in 1536, where more than 3 million people live. According to the level of globalization, it is on the 1st place in South America and is more similar to European capitals than others;
Ushuaia is the most interesting point on Tierra del Fuego and the southernmost city in the world. Wild forests, mountains, glaciers and charming penguins in the neighborhood;
Mendoza is the wine–making center of the country, known for its Malbec wine. Compact, bright and very colorful city, which is unofficially called the "city of the sun and good wine", and also here is the National University of Cuyo - the largest university in Argentina;
Cordoba is the night capital of Argentina, famous for its clubs and festivals, but in the daytime you can walk through museums in the city and admire the beauty of nature beyond its borders. The architectural ensemble of the Jesuits, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, has been preserved in the city center;
San Carlos de Bariloche is a small town at the foot of the Andes, ideal for those who prefer privacy with nature. There are many lakes and mountain ranges, and in winter skiers and snowboarders from all over the world come to conquer the steep slopes.

For the first time, you can rent a house through Airbnb, and then find something through an agency or brokers inside the country.

• Locals are very careful in choosing a tenant. In 90% of cases, a lot of documents will be required: about the place of work, the status of the account, the availability of guarantors, etc.
• Utility bills are almost always paid by tenants themselves.

The cost of renting an apartment:
It directly depends on the prestige of the area. In tourist and expensive areas, housing is naturally more expensive than in "sleeping bags". One-room apartments, on average, rarely cost more than $ 250 per month, and for a three-room apartment you will have to pay $ 500-600.

The rental price consists of:

1. Payment for apartment search services to a broker or agency (4-5% of the total contract value);
2. Payment to the person guaranteeing payment by the lessee of the contract during its validity period (usually this is the amount of the monthly rent payment);
3. Monthly rental amounts;
4. Payment for the maintenance of the apartment (cleaning, concierge, etc.).
5. Monthly payment for gas, water and electricity.

You can avoid the services of intermediaries when renting housing and negotiate with the owner directly, but in this case you will have to make an advance payment immediately for 6-12 months in order to convince landlords of your seriousness and solvency.

In Cordoba, Mendoza, Rosario and Neuquen, housing can be rented 20-30% cheaper than in the Argentine capital, but in Tierra del Fuego prices are comparable and even more expensive.

The cost of utilities:
The payment for an apartment of 90 m2 will be approximately $ 25-30 rubles, and Internet and cable TV will cost $ 12-15.

Where to look for housing:

• https://www.bytargentina.com
• https://www.clickaparts.com
• https://www.4rentargentina.com
• https://www.argenprop.com/

To buy an apartment in Argentina, they are comparable in prices with Moscow or even higher, but buying real estate does not give the right to obtain a residence permit.

Finding a job in Argentina is difficult, unprofitable, and without knowledge of Spanish it is almost impossible. English will not be superfluous, but this factor is not taken into account when searching and applying for a job. For example, it will not be possible to get a job as an official translator, since you will need a diploma from an Argentine university (however, education in the country is free, so it is not so difficult to get it).

Salaries depend on the profession and position, it is difficult to name the average. The most sought-after specialists are those who have knowledge in the field of exact and natural sciences.

The most promising professions in Argentina in 2022 are:

• programmers;
• chemists;
• electricians;
• locksmiths;
• telecommunications specialists, etc.

There are several ways to legalize in Argentina:

1. Residence permit as a refugee: you can enter the country as a tourist and ask for asylum. If there are documentary reasons why you are running, it is better to prepare them. Such a residence permit is issued for 2 years with the possibility of extension;
2. Residence permit as a student: there are many universities and annual Spanish courses in Argentina, but the curriculum has already started in 2022, so you can count on admission only in 2023;
3. Work permit: if you find a legal job in Argentina for an organization that has the right to hire foreigners, then you need to prepare for a long and maximally bureaucratic registration process. A residence permit for work is issued for a period of 1 year with the possibility of extension;
4. Residence permit as a freelancer: issued through an agent and issued for 3 months with a further monthly extension of up to a year. It costs from $ 800. This type of residence permit can be issued through the Argentine Consulate in Russia within one month;
5. Residence permit as a rentier: if you rent a property outside of Argentina and can provide a notarized and apostilled contract in the amount of 30,000 pesos per month (about $ 300), as well as confirm monthly payments under the contract, for example, with a bank statement, you can request a residence permit based on passive income. Such a residence permit is valid for one year, when extending the procedure, you will need to repeat and provide all the required documents again.

There are several ways to get a residence permit in Argentina:

1. Permanent residence through marriage with an Argentine or a resident of Argentina;
2. Permanent residence based on the birth of a child - all children born in Argentina are automatically recognized as Argentines, and parents and next of kin can reunite with them and get permanent residence.

After two years of legal and continuous residence in the country, you can apply for citizenship, but you need to be prepared that obtaining citizenship may take another year. Recently, the requirement of continuous residence in the country for two years to obtain Argentine citizenship was abolished, you can apply for citizenship with a shorter period of stay in the country.

Information about different types of legalization in Spanish can be found here: https://www.argentina.gob.ar/interior/migraciones

It is important to keep in mind that for legalization, you will need a certificate of non-criminal record from the country of which you are a citizen and from the country (or countries) where you have been permanently residing for the last 5 years. The certificate must be apostilled and dated less than three months from the date of departure from the country. In Moscow, you can get it in one month by requesting it on Public Services. The apostille is prepared for 5 days. The services of expedited receipt of a certificate of non-conviction with an apostille are also provided by specialized agencies, their contacts can be found on the Internet.

The local currency is the Argentine peso (ARS) and it has at least three exchange rates:

• Official banking Dólar official promedio. To date, it is equal to 109.5 ARS for one American dollar;
• Dólar Solidario, which allows you to buy currency in a bank for up to 200 USD per month;
• Dólar Blue, aka the black rate, which is twice as high as the official one, but you can buy as much currency as you need.

It is advantageous for visitors from Russia to change their dollars at the Dollar Blue exchange rate and pay in cash everywhere, since Russian bank cards do not work here yet.

Medicine in Argentina is absolutely free, any tourist, immigrant or illegal immigrant receives full medical care on a par with the citizens of the country - when visiting public clinics, only a passport is required. But the "ambulance", in our usual understanding, is missing.

Salaries of medical workers are high, there are a lot of qualified specialists, doctors are loved and respected, but you can spend half a day in line for an appointment. An alternative to state free medicine is private clinics that are quickly serviced, and paid medical insurance covers up to 80% of all expenses for them.

Education in Argentina consists of four stages:

• preschool education for children from 2 to 5 years is optional;
• primary school education - from 6 to 12 years - is mandatory for everyone, from the 4th grade begins the study of at least one foreign language: English, French or Italian;
• secondary education for teenagers from 13 to 18 years is mandatory from 13 to 15 years, then a teenager can continue receiving vocational education or enroll in a university;
• higher education is free for everyone up to the bachelor's level (master's degree and the following stages are paid).

The literacy rate in Argentina is phenomenally high - 97%, which is not surprising, because even kindergarten education in the country is considered one of the best in Latin America.

There are more than 100 universities in Argentina, some are included in the list of the best universities in the world:

• University of Buenos Aires - the largest in the country - 13 faculties;
• National University of La Plata - 17 faculties;
• National University of Cordoba (the oldest in the country) - 13 faculties;
• Rosario National University - 12 faculties;
• Cuyo National University is ideal for creative individuals;
• National University of Mar del Plata - 9 faculties, etc.