Argentina: failure makes free visa difficult for Brazilian students – 03/01/2024 – World

Missing, incorrect or confusing information has made it difficult for Brazilians to access a free student visa to enter Argentina. Without knowing that they are entitled to exemption from fees at consulates, some students pay for another temporary visa, which costs US$550, around R$2,800.

Until last Tuesday (27), this was the amount published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the neighboring country for Mercosur students who wanted to live on Argentine soil for more than a year. But the charge to students goes against an agreement signed by the bloc in 2006 and in force since 2019.

Warned by the report, the department stated that the information was out of date and would be corrected. This Thursday (29), the page was taken down, but another link continued to mention the charge for foreign students who intend to stay for less than a year (US$150 or R$750), without making the Mercosur exception clear.

Block agreement No. 21/06, promulgated by former president Jair Bolsonaro, says that holders of passports from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay or Uruguay “will benefit from free visas when requesting residence in the territory of the other party states” with the aim of study at officially recognized institutions.

The text mentions undergraduate, postgraduate and secondary courses and also grants free tuition to teachers and researchers.

When questioned, the Argentine Foreign Ministry clarified that “nationals of Mercosur member or associated states can choose to obtain a ‘temporary visa by nationality’ (23L) or a ‘temporary student visa’ (23J). In the case of Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, you can obtain a student visa at Argentine consulates for free.”

This information, however, has not reached Brazilian students in a clear manner, which led the Brazilian embassy in Argentina to ask the country’s authorities for explanations, after questions from the Sheet.

“We spoke with the Argentine Embassy in Brazil and pointed out to them what appears to be, if not an inconsistency, at least a lack of clarity. And they responded: really, it is not clear that a student visa is a separate category and It’s free”, said ambassador Julio Bitelli last Monday (26).

“They said they will clarify the precise information on the websites of the Argentine Embassy and consulates”, declared Bitelli — which until this Friday (1st) had not yet been done.

If it were found that Argentine consulates were deliberately charging for student visas, Brazil could make a formal complaint for breach of the Mercosur agreement. But there is no expectation that this will happen.

When questioned, the Argentine representations in Porto Alegre and Salvador confirmed that the process is free — the report was unable to contact other units such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

The mismatch of information, however, confuses students like Adriano, who asked to have his name changed because he is still trying to regularize his situation in the neighboring country. He went to the consulate in the capital of São Paulo to ask for instructions on the visa to study in the country.

Instead of being notified that it was free, he received a paper with a list of instructions for obtaining the other visa, the “temporary one by nationality”, the one that costs US$550. According to him, the consulate informed him that the student visa would be issued. the same price, which is incorrect.

Local laws and Mercosur agreements allow tourists from the bloc to enter and stay in Argentina for up to 90 days, extendable for another 90. No visa or even a passport is required. Students need to apply for the corresponding visa, presenting documents such as a copy of the study program.

It is very common, however, for Brazilian students to enter the country as “fake tourists” and, once there, ask for the right to residence. This culture was created because a 2009 bilateral agreement allows Brazilians and Argentines who are irregularly in the other country to regularize their situation there.

Last week, reports of Brazilian students without visas being blocked from immigration at Argentine airports because they did not have a return ticket, for example, generated alarm and led to the impression of a greater demand on the part of neighboring authorities in recent months, coinciding with the beginning of the management of Javier Milei.

According to Brazilian ambassador Julio Bitelli, there is no discrimination by the Milei administration and, in practice, there was no greater proportion of people prevented from entering. There were only 38 Brazilians denied this year, out of a total of almost 1 million, according to data provided by Argentina’s National Directorate of Migration. Other countries such as Colombia and Ecuador, however, also complained about greater rigidity.

Since assuming the Presidency, Milei has been signaling that he intends to restrict the access of foreign students to public universities. His package of liberal reforms dubbed the “bus law”, which went back to square one after a lack of consensus with the opposition, intended to charge monthly fees to immigrants without residence.

How to obtain visas to enter Argentina

They are issued by consulates, subordinate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Temporary student visa

• Who can ask Any foreigner, at the consulate of their country
• What allows Enter the country to study for up to 1 year or more than 1 year, depending on the category chosen
• What you need to have Passport valid for at least 6 months, copy of the study program, registered educational institution, proof of income, among others
• How much does it cost Free for Mercosur citizens
• More information www.argentina.gob.ar/educacion/campusglobal/visa-estudios

Temporary visa by nationality

• Who can ask Natives of Mercosur and associated countries (such as Colombia and Peru), at the consulate of their country
• What allows Enter the country to live, study and work for 2 years, extendable
• What you need to have Passport valid for at least 6 months, criminal record certificate, proof of domicile, among others
• How much does it cost US$550 (R$2,800) for Mercosur citizens
• More information www.cancilleria.gob.ar/es/servicios/visas/visa-por-nacionalidad

Other types of visas for countries non-members from Mercosur