The distinction between the tourist visa I got in the airport and the student visa, which the IFSA-Butler is going to help me to obtain, is an important one. I was reading over some of the papers I received from the Butler program and I encountered the following:
"Students are allowed to enter Argentina by showing their passports, student visa (temporary resident visa) and letter from the student's local consulate (check with your consulate to see if they provide such a letter). The immigration officers will stamp your documents upon entry"
I read the above paragraph in the plane on my way to Buenos Aires, with no opportunity to call anyone from the program to clarifiy its meaning. This left me with the terrifying conclusion that I would be flying into a kind of purgatory where, without the required student visa, I would be detained in Buenos Aires, unable to leave the airport, but unable to go back home either, or owing to my lack of an international phone, to call anyone.
Fortunately another twenty minutes or so of reading through material made clear to me what I know now. I'm here in Buenos Aires on a tourist visa. However, this visa is only good for about a month, at which point (or before that point really) I have to apply for a student visa, which will be good for the rest of my time in Argentina. The IFSA-Butler staff are going to help us get these during the initial two-week orientation, which is a huge relief as bureaucratic red tape is difficult enough in one's first language, let alone a language with which you still struggle to catch busses.
On a related note, the student status of the visa means that I am only allowed to stay as long as I am an unemployed student. If either of those things change they have the right to deport me, end of story. This little tidbit should be of interest to those of you who asked whether I could work while I'm down here--not worth the risk as it turns out.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment