Vice Minister Urges Approval of New Immigration Law
According to Miguel Ángel Quesada Niño, Vice Ministro de Gobernación and Presidente del Consejo de Migración, the "Ley de Migración y Extranjería" which is now before the Legislative Assembly is stalled due to social and structural circumstances.

Since 1970, things have changed. Costa Rica wasn't a destination place as it is now, with a large migratory flow. The war in Nicaragua and the instability in other Central and South American countries have made stable Costa Rica attractive to many.

Costa Rica has the most stable economy in Central America. As an example, the Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) - Gross National Product of Costa Rica - is around us$4.300, while that of Nicaragua is about us$400. The other Central American countries are about the same.

"Like the dream of many Ticos to go to the United States has been realized, today in Latin America,Costa Rica is one of those countries, where people can come to realize their dreams", said Quesada Niño.

The high level of "coyotage" - the trafficking of humans - is a concern and is urging the need to strengthen Costa Rica's immigration laws to ensure that those migrating to Costa Rica, be it a tourist, investor or retiree, carry proper documentation for their purpose of visit.

The Vice Minister said that tourism is an economic boom to many countries around the world. Tourism generates tax revenue and Costa Rica needs to stimulate tourism, however, Costa Rica can't act as if it were a 'rich' country and needs to have a system in place to filter the flow of those coming into Costa Rica.

Tourists and investors who come to Costa Rica are important to the economic growth of the country, but we have to know who is coming and for why, said the vice minister.

"We cannot be blind to the fact that country is a bridge to international drug trafficking, which forces us to modernize. However, we don't have the financial resources, nor the structure or the law to respond to the need."

The passing of the Ley de Migración y Extranjería, according to Quesada Niño, will allow the country to tackle those problems.