Costa Rica's Immigration Amendment Law
Continues In Limbo
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Costa Rica's
Immigration Amendment Law Continues In Limbo
Once again the legislative reforms to the
Ley de Migración y Extranjería (Immigration
Act) has taken a step back, this time
legislators approving a motion to re-submit
the draft amendment to the scrutiny of the
justices of the Corte Suprema de Justicia
(Supreme Court).
The reason for the new query is whether
there is any overlap between this project
and the Ley de Protección a Víctimas y
Testigos (Law on the Protection of Victims
and Witnesses) which contain both regulatory
punishment against the trafficking of
persons.
The head of the Partido Liberación Nacional
(PLN) fraction, Jorge Mendez, said that the
problem is that the definition of crime is
different in both laws, so legislators
decided to go back to the criterion of the
judges. R
Reforming the law on Immigration is among
the three projects agreed by fraction of
heads to take priority during the current
legislative sessions.
The reforms have been of concern to many
expats living in and those who are thinking
of moving and retiring Costa Rica, fearing
they may not qualify with the proposed hikes
in residency requirements.
Among the concerns is the increase to
us$1.000 from us$600 monthly income
requirement for "pensionado" residency and
to us$2.500 for "rentistas". Initially, the
government has proposed a us$2.000 and
us$5.000, respectively, requirement.
Other changes of concern are proposed
obligation of foreigners living in the
country to pay a fee to be used to fund
their use of services such as health and
education; and, a plan giving life to the
Comisión de Visas Restringidas y Refugio
(Committee on Refugee Visas), a body that
will prevent the application of individual
criteria in the approval or rejection of
such permits. |
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