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Regularization of Immigration status requirements

On Thursday 23 March it was published in the Gazette the Executive Decree No. 145 of 17 March 2017 which amends Article 2 of the Executive Decree No. 167 of 3 June 2016 which sets out the process of regularization of General and repealing the Executive Decree No. 547 of 25 July 2012.

This new decree that bears the signature of President Juan Carlos Varela, and the Minister of Public Security Alexis Bethancourt sets out four requirements that have to be met by foreigners seeking to benefit from the procedure of regularization.

In article 2 of the mentioned norm establishes the following requirements:

  1. Having 18 years or more. If you have less than 18 years, the applicant must have the notarized authorization of one of their parents and test the link of kinship.
  2. A year or more of stay in the country. In the event that the alien has left the country will not be able to stay outside the national territory for a period of more than thirty calendar days, which will be verified with the entry stamps.
  3. Not having a process of legalization before the National Migration Service
  4. Go personally to submit your application for legalization.

The same decree points out that the decision taken by the administration of Juan Carlos Varela is with the aim of stopping extraordinary regularization processes, by carrying them out at the headquarters of the National Migration Service in a more formal and stable manner in order to make this a more agile and transparent process.

http://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/Establecen-requisitos-extranjeros-regularizacion-migratoria_0_4718528112.html

These appear to be amendments to the Regularization process which was detailed in June.

Procedimiento_Regularizaci%C3%B3n.png

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The regularization program, to the best of my knowledge, replaced the Crisol de Razas immigration fairs, is similar to an amnesty, and is for those people who have been in the country for over a year now.  Lawyers may not have much to say about this program because none is required to apply.

There were many people at SNM working towards this status when I was there getting paperwork for my E-Cedula last summer.

 

Edited by Keith Woolford
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14 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

Regularization of Immigration status requirements

On Thursday 23 March it was published in the Gazette the Executive Decree No. 145 of 17 March 2017 which amends Article 2 of the Executive Decree No. 167 of 3 June 2016 which sets out the process of regularization of General and repealing the Executive Decree No. 547 of 25 July 2012.

This new decree that bears the signature of President Juan Carlos Varela, and the Minister of Public Security Alexis Bethancourt sets out four requirements that have to be met by foreigners seeking to benefit from the procedure of regularization.

In article 2 of the mentioned norm establishes the following requirements:

  1. Having 18 years or more. If you have less than 18 years, the applicant must have the notarized authorization of one of their parents and test the link of kinship.
  2. A year or more of stay in the country. In the event that the alien has left the country will not be able to stay outside the national territory for a period of more than thirty calendar days, which will be verified with the entry stamps.
  3. Not having a process of legalization before the National Migration Service
  4. Go personally to submit your application for legalization.

The same decree points out that the decision taken by the administration of Juan Carlos Varela is with the aim of stopping extraordinary regularization processes, by carrying them out at the headquarters of the National Migration Service in a more formal and stable manner in order to make this a more agile and transparent process.

http://www.tvn-2.com/nacionales/Establecen-requisitos-extranjeros-regularizacion-migratoria_0_4718528112.html

These appear to be amendments to the Regularization process which was detailed in June.

<snip>

Following is the full text of Executive Decree No. 145 of 17 March 2017 referenced above:

Executive Decree 145 re immigration 17 March 2017 page 1.png

Executive Decree 145 re immigration 17 March 2017 page 2.png

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9 minutes ago, Gail Anstey said:

Keith.  I can't seem to be able to save the regulations so I can translate them.  Can you help me with this? Can this be done in David or do I have to go to Panama City?

Not really sure what you are looking for, but assuming that you are talking about Executive Decree No. 145 dated March 17th, 2017, I am uploading a PDF version of that two page document. Perhaps that will help.

Decreto Ejecutivo No 145 del 17 de marzo de 2017.pdf

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31 minutes ago, Gail Anstey said:

This is what I need translated.

My understanding of what you are trying to do is file for legal residency without the assistance of a competent attorney. Probably not the wisest approach to achieving your desired end goal to my way of thinking.

Wishing you all the best. When you get to the end of this process, would you mind posting your experiences here on CL?

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1 hour ago, Moderator_02 said:

My understanding of what you are trying to do is file for legal residency without the assistance of a competent attorney. Probably not the wisest approach to achieving your desired end goal to my way of thinking.

Wishing you all the best. When you get to the end of this process, would you mind posting your experiences here on CL?

Or at least invest $20 to have the document translated.

 

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18 hours ago, Siempre Soluciones said:

Or at least invest $20 to have the document trans

19 hours ago, Moderator_02 said:

My understanding of what you are trying to do is file for legal residency without the assistance of a competent attorney. Probably not the wisest approach to achieving your desired end goal to my way of thinking.

Wishing you all the best. When you get to the end of this process, would you mind posting your experiences here on CL?

 

I believe that you don't need an attorney for this type of visa. In fact, it appears that having an attorney is discouraged.

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On 4/3/2017 at 4:02 PM, Penny said:

I believe that you don't need an attorney for this type of visa. In fact, it appears that having an attorney is discouraged.

Penny,

Apparently this individual doesn't know Spanish.  Who should bear that cost?  Immigration in the United States offers free interpretation services in 12 languages as well as handing out vouchers for free stays at Marriott hotels and debit cards for food, clothing, booze, as well as free public and private education, but then again they're bankrupt.  I sure hope that Panama doesn't go that route.

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Apparently (per Olga S. on that "other" blog) the Panamanian government is trying to simplify the immigration process and are encouraging people to apply online without a lawyer.  This is probably upsetting a lot of lawyers who make their living serving the expat community.  There are more changes on the way.

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4 minutes ago, MarieElaine said:

Apparently (per Olga S. on that "other" blog) the Panamanian government is trying to simplify the immigration process and are encouraging people to apply online without a lawyer.  This is probably upsetting a lot of lawyers who make their living serving the expat community.  There are more changes on the way.

What changes?

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National Migration System Has New Online Service.png

Here is a transcription of the English version of the article so that it might be easier to read:

Quote

National Migration System offers new online services

Since Monday, March 27, the National Migration Service of Panama (SNM) has made available two new online services so that interested parties can take the first steps to regularize their immigration status without having to go to one of the Migration offices.

This new service includes applications for Immigration Status and Foreign Pre-Registration, as well as naturalization, and regular and authorized visa services which were already available. With this new system, applicants can apply for an Immigration Status request from home and will only have to go to the Immigration Institution at the time of payment and subsequent collection of the status.

In the case of Applications for Foreign Pre-Registration, with this method the interested party will be able to enter their data into the migration system so that when they visit the facilities of the SNM to formalize the registration the procedure will take considerably less time.

Another benefit of this new system is that foreign residents can request an appointment for renewal of the provisional immigration ID from the same website.

These new services come after a month of reorganization in the SNM, making such changes as the reduction to 3 consecutive months of stay in the country, for those who enter as a tourist, in addition to having to stay a month abroad before re-entering Panama.

These services are available to the general public on the website of the National Migration System, www.Migracion.gob.pa.

 

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I give up. I'm beginning to think that it's impossible to put all this together, to get a straight answer out of anyone. My sympathies are with all of you trying to get a residency visa. As folks work their way through this process, I hope they will keep the rest of us updated on what procedures are being followed (as opposed to all of those that have been reported).

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3 hours ago, Bonnie said:

I give up. I'm beginning to think that it's impossible to put all this together, to get a straight answer out of anyone. My sympathies are with all of you trying to get a residency visa. As folks work their way through this process, I hope they will keep the rest of us updated on what procedures are being followed (as opposed to all of those that have been reported).

It is amazing!

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For anybody wanting to get residency via marriage, the University of Panama in Panama City offers free lawyers for those that do not have any income or assets within the country. I recently had my Poder and Solcitude documents signed by the free lawyer. This saved me thousands of dollars.

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