Government launches today second online extraordinary migratory regularization process
The measure will benefit those migrants who entered Chile before March 18, 2020 through authorized crossing points. Those who entered illegally will be able to leave the country without being penalized and apply for a visa at a Chilean consulate abroad.
As of today, this second extraordinary process will allow foreigners to regularize their immigration status in Chile. While the enactment of the new migration law has made this process possible, it comes with a set of requirements for its beneficiaries.
This law will benefit migrants who entered Chile through authorized crossing points before March 18, 2020 and who do not have a criminal record. They will be granted 180 days from the date the law is published in the Official Gazette.
In this process, they will be able to request a temporary visa without being penalized. And once the application is entered, they will be granted a one-year temporary work permit while their visa is being processed.
To clarify: those who entered the country with a legal tourist visa after March 18, 2020, and whose visa has expired, will be able to pay the fine online and request a new visa. However, this request will be processed within the standard framework provided by law, and not as part of the extraordinary regularization process.
It is important to note that this process is 100% online. All the requested documents needed to apply must be filled out on the immigration portal at www.extranjeria.gob.cl.
As for those who entered illegally, they will be able to leave the country without being penalized for their current status or barred from re-entering the country legally in the future. In this way, they may request a temporary visa at any Chilean consulate abroad.
Álvaro Bellolio, director of the Department of Foreign Services and Immigration, explained the new process: “We want to lend a hand to foreigners who have been in Chile for over a year and who entered through authorized border crossing points. Although they respected our institutions and presented themselves to immigration control, they have had difficulties in their work or have lacked the economic support to apply for a visa due to the pandemic. In this way, they will now be able to apply for this process, which has been 100% digitalized in order to protect their health and provide a quick response.”
Foreigners will be able to apply for a visa and obtain a work permit in minutes, without having to pay any fines for irregularity. Our hope is that, in the next 6 months, at least 50 thousand foreigners will take advantage of the new migration law provided by President Piñera’s government.
"In the context of putting our house in order, a window will also be opened for those who entered illegally. They will be able to regularize their situation by leaving Chile and applying for a visa at any foreign consulate. Then, they can re-enter our country in a way that respects our rules and institutional framework. Promising them a visa while in Chile would be irresponsible, since it promotes illegal entry, human trafficking and ‘coyotes’ by generating expectations that cannot be met,” said Bellolio.
It should be noted that during the first regulatory process, carried out on April 8, 2018, more than 210,000 foreigners who had entered illegally or who did not have a work permit were regularized (this number includes the standard regularization requests completed on the same date). This process made it possible for immigrants to change their migratory status and obtain the proper documentation to live and work in the country.