Legalizing foreigners’ status in Costa Rica becomes easier

The Migration General Direction opened its doors for foreigners in Costa Rica to regularize their status through four transient that seek to improve the status of those residing in the country in irregular status.

Gladys Jimenez, Executive Director, mentioned that the first of these transient began to govern from May 17th of this year and is aimed at people with a category of temporary or permanent resident who them has expired your certificate since 2003.

This first transitional does not apply to persons who have criminal background with crimes committed in the last ten years, who have made an application for suspension of residence or who have remained outside the country for the period of more than a year.

To change their status, should be made by the normal regularization process which includes canceling an amount around $98 to $123 and $3 more for each month of expired documents.

Just in this first group, migration office expected that about 65 000 people regularize, over a period of six months which will be in effect.

In addition to this, also governed from the same date transitional number two aimed at fathers or mothers of Costa Rica, living under the of age or persons with disabilities of their children effective parental.

This relieves parents leave and re-enter the country to do so legally such as requirement, by what may do so from national territory.

In addition to these earlier, there will be another transitional to regularize the elderly, minors with a legal representative, person of legal age with disabilities or age of majority but entered the country with less than 18 years and has not attained 25. Your requirement is to have roots in the country for at least five years; some of these are acquired through real estate investment or business investment.

While the number four transitional will begin in the month of September and aims to regularize domestic workers and farm employees who six months before May 17 were already working with a local employer.

This last is of the utmost importance because finished once the period – February 17, 2013 – will begin to collect fines from employers who have employees with irregular migratory status in their spreadsheets.

On the complication due to the costs and the socio-economic status of foreigners, Jiménez emphasized that the amounts are established by law by what they cannot exonerate. The requirements are also available on the website of migration.

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