Chile Forum

Been meaning to share this bit of new information with the forum, as people keep trying to apply for residency visas through the Chilean consulates after all our years of warnings. Some people however are granted their temp residency via the Chilean embassies and consulates around the World. That however is only half of the story.

I have a new and very very good reason why you should never ever apply through the consulates. This is besides the fact that they reject almost all applications without comment and / or ask for absurd things that immigration inside Chile does not ask for such as HIV test and police reports.

The new reason: If you apply through the Chilean consulates, and are by some chance granted a temporary residency visa to Chile, the original documents you submit are gone forever. Thus, after a year of temporary residency when you go to apply for your permanent residency inside Chile at immigration they will not have them. You will have to gather and legalize them all over again.

There is even the chance, and we have seen this, that the regional immigration offices will not know that the national system does not have your documents already (they might assume you applied through immigration for your temp). You very well could get rejected for permanent residency, because your file is blank with them.

The foreign ministry does not share data with immigration. They are two completely different branches of the Chilean government, that have been both given powers to grant visas. They do not talk to each other.

So, in spite of all the warnings, if you insist on going through the Chilean consulate rather than doing things the easy way by just flying in to Chile on tourist visa, make very very sure you have at least two original copies fully legalized of all the documents you submit to the Chilean consulate. You will need them. At least if you are rejected by the Chilean consulate, you can try again through the immigration once you arrive because you will have a second copy of your documents. You will need to submit them to immigration directly one way or the other, sooner or later.

You don't need any of that, if you apply in Chile. Search the forum. Very discussed at length.

Lots more here: http://www.spencerglobal.com/chile-immigration-law.html

JaX_Chile wrote:

beckalippy wrote:So I have only begun the process of getting my temp residency visa from the consulate in San Francisco, but after hearing all this, I'm thinking about taking your advice (what a thought!) and waiting. How hard is it to get the temp visa once I'm there? Should I get my university diploma notarized here? Should I get any other forms done? I'm flying down there the beginning of January, so I dont have time to get my FBI criminal record check before I go anyways. Any advice you have would be MUCH appreciated!

In regards to the FBI check... you don't need it for the tourist visa... but you do (did) for a residency visa... I got mine back within 2 or 3 weeks, if I remember correctly... I was quite surprised how fast it was... but of course that was about 2 years ago...

Cheers!

That post needs to be clarified a bit. You do not need an FBI background check for any visa applied for inside the country. You only need it when applying outside the country at the consulates (and then it is up to the individual consulate).

I just don't want that being misread and turning in to another million confusing questions and responses on the subject from people that do not read the whole forum or even the thread.

Hightower wrote:

admin wrote:
That post needs to be clarified a bit. You do not need an FBI background check for any visa applied for inside the country. You only need it when applying outside the country at the consulates (and then it is up to the individual consulate).

I just don't want that being misread and turning in to another million confusing questions and responses on the subject from people that do not read the whole forum or even the thread.

My understanding of the situation (as it applies to me) is that the police check happens even if you apply inside the country. It is just that the Extranjeria takes care of all the paper work (contacting the relevant authorities in your home country) and you do not have to submit any documents regarding this matter yourself.......unless you are a Peruvian or Colombian citizen (see below).

NOTA: Los extranjeros de nacionalidad colombiana y peruana deben presentar certificado de antecedentes judiciales vigente para cualquier solicitud.

I think you are dreaming of a much more efficient immigration office than exists in Chile. Yes, as standard procedure you do have to register with Chilean PDI / INTERPOL, and your name does appear I am sure in international systems, but immigration does not do that. They are requested of certain nationals of certain countries, and immigration does have the power to request that document, but for the most part it does not as a matter of standard procedure and has not for many years.

Another example is the HIV test. It is not a grounds for denying someone from entering the country. So, why do certain consulates ask for it but not others, when it is irrelevant anyway? We have heard stories of all kinds of crazy stuff being requested from different consulates around the World.

I think what people are failing to really understand in this thread is that they are really two different offices of the Chilean government, with the same power. Both have their own powers and procedures (or lack of), neither really talks to the other (or anyone else for that matter).

Does it make sense to knowingly apply to an office with a history of rejection for something that is not their primary purpose with a nearly completely unpredictable system around the World, when there is another way to do it?

So, knock yourself out if you like bureaucratic rides. Until the consulate system for applying for visas is fixed (i.e. I see hundreds or even thousands of approvals without problems), I am still going to tell people not to do it that way.

It is far from a bed of roses applying inside the country, just a lot less thorny.