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How to stay in colombia

Posted all this in the all about visa section as well.

Back again for some advice. I'm not sure what the best way to stay in Colombia is. What do you think?

Me personally, I've written some jounal entries on this forum, I'm a US citizen, BA but no teaching credential and have a student visa good through the end of August, at which point I will have been in Colombia 1 and a half years. I've been living with my girlfriend in Cali for 6 months, the lease we signed is for another 6 months. My Spanish is far from perfect.

My main purpose is to work legally, teaching English. Schools don't seem too keen on sponsoring a work visa nor am I that keen on it as my understanding is you are only given permission to work at one particular business, institution etc. Second option that seems played out was to get a special visa(I forget the exact name, temporal associo o algo)I got what I thought was all the necessary documentation but it turned out to be a no go at the Colombian consulate in Israel(I happened to be here as a tourist). The consul said that this visa does not permit one to work at any job in Colombia only the business that one is planning to set up. Also according to him, the amount on the paper from camera comercio was short by 5 millones and that a visa application could only be done in the US or Colombia. Third option is to marry my girlfriend. I don't know that much about this option. What must I do to ensure that this will give me the legal right to work? What kind of liability am I setting myself up for?

Fourth option is student visa renewal but the only place in Cali that does this charges 2 millones for a semester and ofcourse it won't give me the right to work.

By Jon on Jul 3, 2006, 02:35 in Friendly Talkzone.

Gomezman5 says on Jul 3, 2006, 05:24:

Another option.....and the best one Contact a lawyer in Colombia that specializes in immigration matter. Why? You will get honest to God legal advise, instead of a half a dozen or more conflicting opionions that you will obtain on the web site, which of course, will make you more confused than before you posted here.

A nother fringe benefit of retaining an attorney in Colombia is that he will do all the leg work,which for him will not be too much because he will know people inside the system. That also works to your benefit because he will probably have a better result in seek what you want, then if you were to go about it all by yourself. When it comes to immigration matters, things can be kind of arbitrary. The same applies for such matters in the US as well.

Another option? Go teach English in a country that is much more lenient and less restrictive than Colombia....Costa Rica for example. And by the way, there a lot of beautiful women there too, which includes Colombian women. However, due to their employment, I don't think you will be to interested in most of the Colombian women you will find in Costa Rica. At least not from a girl friend perspective.

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kat1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Jul 3, 2006, 06:03:

$5,000 dollars!!!!!! Dongringo, but can I keep you ;)jeje

I met someone very close who did it, the guy paid her and they got married and he settled in Colombia and opened a bussines in a very good tourist area.

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kat1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Jul 3, 2006, 06:51:

Wooooo hoooooooo!! ;)

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Jon says on Jul 3, 2006, 07:36:

And on a serious note... ...thanks for the advice. Any other opinions out there?

Gomezman5, can you recommend such a specialist in Cali?

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arthur brode (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jul 3, 2006, 11:00:

good luck I couldnt even find an immigration Lawywer in the Cali yellow pages.And the one so called immigration/visa Lawyer that i was refered to didnt know sh*t about Visas.I knew more than him!This Lawyer claimed that he could get me a Cedula if i paid him $1,500 dollars!

http://www.calirentals.net/

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Atrevido (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jul 3, 2006, 19:46:

How to stay in Colombia without a job? I think it was Kernow who posted you just start a an e-mail campaign from what purports to be an "orginazion sin animo de lucro" to do something or other for poor Colombian children then sit back and wait for the proceeds to arrive by Pay-Pal.

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tigredelnorte says on Jul 4, 2006, 07:44:

just a thought Not sure if this would work, but, you could have your gf start a business. This business would provide English teaching services to schools , and busineses. Then she goes through the work visa process to hire you. I think that you would have to leave the country to get the visa.

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caslug says on Jul 4, 2006, 08:16:

last i heard tiger.. it doesnt work quite that way.. as of last year, foreign teacher can ONLY acc't for about 25% of the work force NOT 100% so yes, if his GF opens and business hires 3 COL teacher THEN hires him, no problem. but she cant hire him as the sole teacher. his best bet would be to a) work for berlitz, sometimes they'll sponsor a teacher or b) get his TEFL then try to get a job through whichever school he got his TEFL at..

it may be 20% not 25%..

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lawyerincolombia says on Jul 14, 2006, 08:46:

Lawyer in Cali Colombia I am a certified lawyer in Colombia. My name is Carlos Arturo Dorado and I can help to you about inmigration and legal problems in Colombia.
I am located in Cali Colombia.

Best regards:
Carlos Dorado
http://nicelatinladies.com/abogado.html

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