Latin American destinations with attractive residency visas

by admin · Published January 7, 2021 · Updated September 20, 2023

Just ten years ago it was difficult to imagine that emigration to Latin America could be a good idea for many Europeans.

Nowadays, remote job makes it possible to live in this tropical paradise. In addition, some Latin American countries offer quite acceptable conditions for living and doing business. It is easy to obtain a residence permit and citizenship there.

Visa Requirements for Mexico

A hot climate and a lower cost of living make Mexico attractive for many Americans and Canadians.

Emigration to Mexico is associated with certain difficulties mostly financial ones. Although it is always easier for a qualified specialist to obtain a visa or residence permit, the rest will have to work hard to get the paperwork done.

Who can qualify for Mexican citizenship by law?

Those who have lived in the country for more than 5 years have a legal residence permit and the appropriate type of visa.

How to get a residence permit?

• Rentiers with a fairly high level of income received in their home country or in any country other than Mexico itself. The income level must be at least $ 2,000 monthly.
• Students of Mexican universities or colleges can obtain a residence permit. In this case, they will have to provide a letter from the university for processing the documents, confirming that the student is guaranteed a place with an indication of a specific faculty and course. At the same time, a special visa is issued, the period of which expires upon graduation.
• Acquisition of any real estate (commercial or residential). But for such an object, a high-cost bar has been set – $ 200,000.
• Purchase of a stake in a company registered in Mexico. In this case, there are also restrictions on cost – at least $ 100,000.

Visa Requirements for Ecuador

Retirement, investment professional, student, dependent, and rentier (rentista) visas are some types of Ecuador residency visas.

• With a retirement visa, you need to be a retired person with a stable source of income that will support you throughout the remaining part of your life. This Ecuador visa can be granted to you if you are receiving income from pensions, or annuities. This is crucial if you need to visit Ecuador.
• You will get an investment visa if you want to and you show that you are able to invest in Ecuador.
• You should apply for a professional visa if you have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.
• You need to have a legal source of income that can offer at least $400 monthly for you to get a rentier visa.
• You are required to be married to a permanent Ecuadorian citizen for you to get a dependent visa. You can also get it if you are a child under the care of a permanent Ecuadorian visa holder.

Visa Requirements for Brazil

At one time, when the Brazilian economy could not cope with population growth, that is, from about the 1950s, Brazilians used to leave Brazil for Canada and the United States, Spain, and Portugal. But since 2000, when the Brazilian economy started to develop at a fast pace again, emigration to Brazil has become quite attractive for Europeans.

As in any other country, in order to obtain a legal residence, to work, or open your own business, you need to have a residence permit. To obtain a Brazilian residence permit, one of the following conditions must be fulfilled:

• Marry a Brazilian citizen.
• To become an investor and invest in the Brazilian economy at least 300,000 reais (around 60,000 USD).
• Get an invitation to the country as a researcher or teacher of higher education.
• Live in Brazil legally for more than 4 years (this method is suitable for those who receive education in Brazil).
• A residence permit can be obtained by the parents of a child born in Brazil (the child himself can automatically become a citizen of the country).
• And finally, pensioners whose monthly income exceeds a certain amount.

Having received a residence permit, emigrants can only work in private companies (with the exception of teachers and researchers, who can also get a job in public universities). In order to work in state structures, you need to participate in a competition for a particular vacancy, and only citizens of the country have the right to do so.

Visa Requirements for Uruguay

The banking sector is developing rapidly in Uruguay, and conditions are being created for capital inflows. Many citizens of other Latin American countries keep their money in local banks.

In addition, Uruguay is attractive because it is not so difficult to obtain a residence permit here. To do this, it is enough to spend only a year in the country. But citizenship can be obtained within 3 years after that.

Uruguay is considered to be a country with a low crime rate. It is interesting that many retirees from North America and the EU live in Uruguay, since the cost of living in the country is much lower than in these states, and the climate is more pleasant. Real estate prices will please potential immigrants too.

Visa Requirements for Argentina

Moving to Argentina is needed to fulfill the same requirements as moving to other countries: work, family reunification, and business. And, of course, there is a rentier program. Each of these cases in Argentina has its own nuance.

• Business immigration means that an investor is ready to invest $ 100,000 in the country’s economy. Moreover, he must invest a quarter of this amount immediately, and the rest within a year. For this, for example, you can buy a piece of land or commercial real estate.
• Rentiers can move to Argentina if they can prove they have earned at least $ 1,200 per month, and this money must come from foreign banks.

In general, the Argentine government encourages immigration. There is a special program designed to move 100,000 immigrants a year. People aged 20-60 can take part in it, with secondary or higher education, without a criminal record.

By the way, these requirements also apply to those who marry Argentine citizens.

Even in the presence of an officially concluded marriage, citizenship will take into account age, lack of a criminal record, as well as health conditions that affect the ability to work.

When moving under an employment contract, the visa is issued for 1 year and then extended. Citizenship can be applied for after 2 years of permanent residence in the country, which is rather mild conditions compared to many other countries.

You will need 3 years to obtain this permanent residence status.

Visa Requirements for Chile

Moving to Chile has its advantages.

The climate here is rather mild and the country is considered one of the fastest-growing in the region. Chile has very loyal immigration legislation and state guarantees of deposits and the absence of taxes on the import or export of capital for rentiers or investors.

Despite the fact that the economy is developing quite quickly, the level of wages is still quite low, even for qualified specialists. In addition, Chile has a fairly high crime rate.

In order to permanently reside in the country, to be able to work, study or do business, you need to obtain a residence permit, which is also called a resident visa. There are several types of such a visa:

• family reunification visa (obtained by those who have married a Chilean citizen)
• pensioner’s visa
• investor visa
• rentier visa

All these documents are processed at the State Department for Foreigners in Santiago or in the relevant departments of regional administrations. It is advisable to come there in person to fill out the form, as it takes longer to send documents by mail.

The list of documents for obtaining a visa is standard. Of course, each case has its own characteristics.

• For example, for a spouse visa, you need a marriage certificate (original or certified copy) and a spouse’s birth certificate.
• For a pensioner’s visa – notarized photocopies of documents confirming the receipt of a pension.
• This also applies to the rentier visa, only, in this case, the documents must confirm periodic income (not salary, but income from renting real estate or dividends on shares).