Good Immigration Lawyers

1338POSTS

10 years ago

kohlerias wrote:
If you are the principal applicant, and have applied as an 'Investor' or a 'Pensionado', are under 55, approx. US$442 is what a Rentista or Investor may be required to pay...not a Pensionado .

If you are the principal applicant, and have applied as an 'Investor' or a 'Pensionado', are over 55, approx. US$220 is what a Rentista or Investor may be required to pay...not a Pensionado .

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This scale below was copied from Costa Rica Law, and is dated 1st Aug. 2015

"For 2015 the amounts in USD is what is required to be paid are as follows, according to this sliding scale:

From $343.50 to $1,060.99 5.35%
From $1,060.99 to $2,121.98 6.24%
From $2,121.98 to $3,182.97 8.02%
Above $3,182.97 10.69%

The scale is set forth below in colones (₡ ) as provided to us by the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social'.

Your premium will be determined by the staff at your local CCSS/CAJA office and thepremiums seem to differ with each office, so there is no 'guarantee', that this is what you end up paying.

Thanks for this info. I understand that no one can guarantee what we will pay but there is a ball park amount it seems, and I was alarmed when it was written "Pensionados do have a lower CAJA rate than Investors or Rentistas, and if either of these principal applicants are under 55, they have been known to have to pay approx. US$450".

So the above sentence was (I think - tell me if I'm wrong) misinterpreted by me to mean that a pensionado applicant under 55 could pay $450. I now (think I) understand this to mean that an investor or Rentista could pay that much; not a pensionado.

And by Principal applicant, did you mean only the person with the pension, not the wife or husband of the person with the pension?

So if the person applying for pensionado is over 55 but the wife is not, then the "over 55" rule would not affect the pensionado nor his wife's CAJA amount, right?

THe way the sentence read - to me - was somewhat confusing.

So as I understand it now, if my pension is $1300 a month my wife and I would pay somewhere around 6.24% of that which would be $81. Is that $81 each or is that $81 total?

I am somewhat confused when it is said that an amount cannot be determined - that it is up to the individual at MY CAJA office. Yet the scale given in the post above states a percentage. Is the percentage NOT a law or hard and fast rule? How can there be a % yet it is not used? (Just a "Tico thing"? i.e. there is a rule but it doesn't have to be followed)

samramon ViP

1338POSTS

10 years ago

#42

TerrynViv wrote:
Sam Ramon;
There is NO WAY anyone on this forum can guarantee what you will pay. I would be EXTREMELY surprised if you were near $450 but it depends on the person in the CAJA office. We applied as Inversionista and CAJA assumes that a person applying under that category is rich. We are DEFINITELY not rich but it is the only program we could apply under. I have no guaranteed pension, we do not have $120,000 to be rentistas but we were able to sell our house in Canada and purchase / build our house here on the basis of what we sold for in Canada. I wish you the best as I wish ourselves. Don't know what we will do with a $500 a month CAJA payment and yet here we sit waiting.

Good luck to you! I can see that Costa Rica seems to assume rentistas are rich even though they're not. There should be some sort of appeal process. But of course there probably is not because this is Costa Rica...

I would think there would be a scale depending on income, and according to the other post, there is. Yet they don't go by it?

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TerrynViv Serial expat

651POSTS

10 years ago

#43

I have seen the "original sliding scale" posted numerous times and yet we have two friends that had their CAJA assigned without questioning what their income was. The one family that was to pay $700 said they had no income that would justify that great an amount of money. Luck of the draw my friend!

kohlerias ViP

1572POSTS

10 years ago

#44

Samramon wrote,'... the scale given in the post above states a percentage. Is the percentage NOT a law or hard and fast rule? How can there be a % yet it is not used? (Just a "Tico thing"?) It seems to be...

And you may indeed be required to pay a premium of $81...but this will cover both you and your wife...but then again, you may not

samramon ViP

1338POSTS

10 years ago

#45

kohlerias wrote:
Samramon wrote,'... the scale given in the post above states a percentage. Is the percentage NOT a law or hard and fast rule? How can there be a % yet it is not used? (Just a "Tico thing"?) It seems to be...

And you may indeed be required to pay a premium of $81...but this will cover both you and your wife...but then again, you may not

Is there indeed no appeal process?

kohlerias ViP

1572POSTS

10 years ago

#46

Do you consider $81 too much?

Or is this just a general question?

I have never heard of anyone that have made CAJA, lower their premium?

samramon ViP

1338POSTS

10 years ago

#47

kohlerias wrote:
Do you consider $81 too much?

Or is this just a general question?

I have never heard of anyone that have made CAJA, lower their premium?

No, of course I don't think it's too high. I just wonder if there is an appeal process for those who get charged too much considering the budget they are on.

kohlerias ViP

1572POSTS

10 years ago

#48

You do realize the most ex-pats applying for Pensionado status only declare the least amount they can to get away with, to obtain residency, don't you, and this is what their premium is based on.

A single Pensionado is expected to pay the same premium as a Pensionado couple that possibly has two 'guaranteed for life' pensions...

Are the CAJA premiums fair? No.

Can we do anything about it? No

Thank goodness, once a Permanent resident, these premiums are re-accessed by CAJA.

sporto505 Active member

96POSTS

10 years ago

#49

Todays date is 11/28/15. I tried the ARCR route. While my initial meeting was good, the follow thru of the lawyers there was less than good. The one staff in charge of all the paperwork is way over worked. She had a foot stack of applications she was trying to keep track of.. So like most things in the US corporate world, the sales end is much more efficient than the customer service end.
The women who actually took over my paperwork as a favor, and got all my appointments in a timely fashion works with her husband, an expat Canadian. She is a Tica. Her name is Johanna Alvarez. Her email address is 83237085cr@gmail.com. or you can might try Johanna@gapinvestors.com. Gap investors is her husband's company.

Johanna is one sharp cookie. She is efficient, knowledgable, and most important, she follows thru on what she tells you, and she tells you only the truth. She does not say she will do something and then pass it off to who knows who to get it done, where it lingers forever.

The good news on the government side is they processed my paperwork and approved my residency in seven months. That was quicker than I had been told it would take.

Bhavna Team

43505POSTS

10 years ago

#50

Hello everyone,

@ sporto505, as you appreciated the service, maybe you could recommend the business and put down the contact details of Johanna Alvarez as contact person so that members can easily get in touch with her.

It will be much appreciated.

Here is the direct link to recommend a business : Add a business in Costa Rica

All the best,
Bhavna

Healthimpact Member

17POSTS

10 years ago

#51

Do not use ARCR R lowers. It took 4,5 yr for us to get residency with them.
We actually eventually took care of it by ourselves and got it done!

sporto505 Active member

96POSTS

10 years ago

#52

call Costa Rica Immigration Experts. Johanna Alvarez. She is very good. you can find their website by their company name. I enrolled w/ the ARCR program. It did good initially, but once I got my resolution of approval, their customer service dropped off dramatically. Further, the lawyer that was assigned to my case did not know what he was talking about in terms of where to apply for CAJA etc, in order to complete my residency.

to contact Johanna Alvarez her email is: 83732085cr@gmail.com. That is also her phone number.

samramon ViP

1338POSTS

10 years ago

#53

So far I'm happy with outlier although we have not gotten our residency yet as we have just started the process.

1 member reacted to this post

kohlerias ViP

1572POSTS

10 years ago

#54

How can someone honestly recommend a job well done, when the job isn't complete...?

Suggest one waits until their cedula is in their hand...or at least until they have signed up for their CAJA health coverage.

An good, initial meeting with a lawyer or residency specialist does not mean everything will happen according to plan...as some of us have experienced.

Please note, I have nothing good or bad to impart about any lawyer mentioned on this discussion.

ariannarincon Member

11POSTS

10 years ago

#55

Sorry, there is something I am not sure I understand. Is it mandatory to get into this CAJA system? Could you tell me what its function is? Also, my senior mother is 88, does she also need to get registered in this CAJA?

ariannarincon Member

11POSTS

10 years ago

#56

Hi. I have a question because I think that I read somewhere that you got the visa by investing in real estate, like a house? Because so far the option that I have read about are: a guaranteed monthly income of 2500 $, or a bank deposit of 60000 US $. Could you also apply for residency for buying a house there? Could this be less than 120000? (we are two people, I would be the main applicant and then a dependent)

sporto505 Active member

96POSTS

10 years ago

#57

Keep reading. the "pensionado " requirement is $1,000 per month. there are two more types left. One requires something close to $60k. The other requires a much larger deposit in the country. By far, for other reasons, the best option economically is the pensionado. it may also determine your caja payment when you finally qualify for residency.

I tried to go thru ARCR. they promise to do one's residency for $1,000 plus costs. Unless you speak at least conversational spanish one should not go that route. What they do for that money is file your initial papers. nice but that is the easy part. What they don't do is guide you thru the maze of CAJA and Migracion. without a decent fluency level of spanish, it will take you days/weeks to get thru the system.
I used Johanna Alverez w/ Costa Rica Immigration Service. She is a master of the process. I got my CAJA first time around. I then got my residency the following week the first time around. All a lawyer does is sign the papers. the person with knowledge and contacts is what you really need to get thru the bureaucracy.

GuestPoster0987 Guest

0POSTS

10 years ago

#58

If you do not want a high bill for government sponsored healthcare, I would recommend against the Inversionista (Investor) type residency. I've heard several people say that their CAJA fees are quite high even though their actual monthly income is low (after investing most of their money in a home or business).

When you obtain residency, you are required to pay into the government healthcare system (CCSS/CAJA). You can then use the government clinics (EBAIS) and hospitals at no additional cost. But many people prefer to go to private doctors and hospitals which will add to your medical costs. I pay into CAJA plus have high deductible private healthcare insurance. I use CAJA for routine care including laboratory tests and prescription drugs; and I go to private doctors for special health concerns.

ariannarincon Member

11POSTS

10 years ago

#59

Thank you. So, CAJA is very similar to what we have in other LA countries. I never use the Social Security services in mine, and I do not pay any contribution to that because I work free lance and it is not mandatory. That is why I would like to ask again: Is CAJA mandatory?

TerrynViv Serial expat

651POSTS

10 years ago

#60

Yes, it is mandatory if you are becoming a resident and is due during the time frame in my post above. Redbeard, we just received our Cedulas yesterday under Inversionista and our Caja payments are right around $50 per month.

samramon ViP

1338POSTS

10 years ago

#61

TerrynViv wrote:
Yes, it is mandatory if you are becoming a resident and is due during the time frame in my post above. Redbeard, we just received our Cedulas yesterday under Inversionista and our Caja payments are right around $50 per month.

TerrynViv, didn't you have some issues getting your CAJA payment down? How did you do it? As I recall (maybe I' m wrong) originally your CAJA was going to be very high? Or was that someone else?

What I have heard is that if you are an pensionado your CAJA is quite low but even with that I have not heard it being THAT low ($50/month). Am curious how you did that... I've heard of people who are rentistas having very high CAJA payments and I would think that an inversionista (investor) payment would be even higher...

TerrynViv Serial expat

651POSTS

10 years ago

#62

We went to the Caja office in Puriscal. The lady that processed our application had never done an Inversionista application before and had to call a Caja office in another canton and have them walk her through it. We were asked our monthly expenses and income (neither of which is large) and that was it. We were prepared to be paying $300 to $400 so it was a very pleasant surprise. Our exact payment is 27,972 colones which at todays conversion is $52

samramon ViP

1338POSTS

10 years ago

#63

I think you got lucky, TerryNViv! Good for you!
We have just filed our paper work and are in "wait" mode, but we're pensionados. I would be very happy if we get a rate that low for our CAJA!

ExpatDave Serial expat

600POSTS

10 years ago

#64

MississippiBill wrote:
I would like to solicit input on good immigration lawyers. I understand that ARCR offers this service but have heard that local lawyers may be just as good and considerably less expensive.

Please advise with your recommendations.

Thanks

Bill

I had to chuckle when I read the subject "Good Immigration Lawyers." Isn't that the definition of oxymoron?

- Expat Dave

sporto505 Active member

96POSTS

10 years ago

#65

I opted for the pensionado status. Once I left ARCR, and used Johanna @ costaricaimmigration experts, she did the communicating for me at the CAJA office. I was going to be charged $200 or 10% of my social security payment. But Johanna walked the clerk thru all my monthly payments that were deducted from my CAJA rate. So I too ended up paying $52 a month. Nice surprise. had it been up to me, I would not have known I could off set my expenses.

Another issue that follows the CAJA is once you get the receipt stamped and think you are ready , you will discover you need to go back and get the CAJA card, which is what actually allows you to get free RX and doctor visits. In Heredia, I learned I have to BE THERE at 6:00am in order to get a card. or possibly 5am to be the first in line. (groan)
nothing like good ol' bureaucracy, whether it is american or tico american.

1 member reacted to this post

samramon ViP

1338POSTS

10 years ago

#66

Thanks for the info, sporto.
We will make sure we are armed with expenses when we have our CAJA meeting. What expenses are allowed?
Phone, internet, gasoline, electricity, propane, ...?? I assume you need receipts...

Anyone know where there is info on what is allowed as expenses?

TerrynViv Serial expat

651POSTS

10 years ago

#67

They asked us what our monthly groceries were, utilities, and other expenses combined (cars, insurance, etc.) As we were Inversionistas they asked where our income came from and how much. Piece of cake!

samramon ViP

1338POSTS

10 years ago

#68

Thanks for the info. We'll definitely go in with a list of expenses to show we have very little left over after food, insurance, phone, net, gasoline, etc. Fact is, we are not living high on the hog. Just high flyin' in the bounty of nature and a beautiful vista!

1 member reacted to this post

StanR Serial expat

337POSTS

10 years ago

#69

Is it possable to move to and establish residance in CR and then apply for residence status. or must the residence visa be obtained before moving to CR.
Thanks

TerrynViv Serial expat

651POSTS

10 years ago

#70

It is strictly your choice. Just keep in mind that you must exit the country based on the number of days of your entry stamp in your passport until you actually apply for residency and then you will not have to leave at all. EXCEPT if you wish to drive on a foreign driver's license and in that case you must exit and re-enter the country every ninety days to keep your license valid until you achieve your temporary residency.
Cheers .... Terry

StanR Serial expat

337POSTS

10 years ago

#71

Thanks Terry. Over a 90 day period, I would only be in CR 30 days.

CanFarmBoy New member

7POSTS

8 years ago

#72

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone has tried (or even heard from anyone who used) an immigration consultant named Laura Gutierrez? Her website testimonials sound great, but I wanted to hear from some real people! LOL FWIW, I read all of the above, and found no mention of her.

TerrynViv Serial expat

651POSTS

8 years ago

#73

I did a search of the forum and yours seems to be the only post with that name mentioned.

samramon ViP

1338POSTS

8 years ago

#74

CanFarmBoy wrote:
Hi, I was just wondering if anyone has tried (or even heard from anyone who used) an immigration consultant named Laura Gutierrez? Her website testimonials sound great, but I wanted to hear from some real people! LOL FWIW, I read all of the above, and found no mention of her.

All I can say is I've heard of her but know nothing about her. I do recommend Outlier Legal Services for really good communication and quick service.

pebs Serial expat

349POSTS

8 years ago

#75

SEE??AND ALL THAT BALONY WHICH HAS BEEN POSTED ( i think also by you ) WHICH HAS BEEN DICOURAGING PEOPLE MOVING HERE BY SAYING CAJA COSTS ABOUT $300 to $500 monthly
.I kept TRYING to warn people that it as BS..From cyber bullies on this site who think they know it ALL because they have been ripped off mzny by that Canadian rip off company many use..My payments have been and are only 18.000 monthly..do the math and DO NOT TAKE EVERYTHING YOU READ HERE FROM THE "BOSSY PEOPLE " They are NOT EXPERTS even if they have nothong better to do but be here 24/7 DAILY..beware!

1 member reacted to this post

samramon ViP

1338POSTS

8 years ago

#76

Since I cannot edit my old posts I wanted to add here that we did get our residency through Outlier Legal, we were very happy with them - we got our Pensionado residency in less than 8 months! - and they were holding our hand every step of the way, making things very easy for us. I cannot recommend them more highly. I get no reward for recommending them, just recommending what I consider a good service.

But of course we had all our ducks in a row before we moved here, brought all our Apostilles and such with us so then it was just a matter of waiting and going to a government meeting of one sort or another a total of 2-3 times, each time with someone from the attorney's office with us to point us in the right direction and tell us what we should expect.

After reading many horror stories on the net about waiting in long lines and going to this and that and the other meeting, being in the wrong place at the right time or vice versa, I was very happy that our process was super easy, It went like clockwork.

The only bad part was leaving the country every 90 days to be able to continue to drive in Costa Rica! if you don't need to drive here, you don't even have to leave the country while applying for residency!

While I'm at it here's a couple myths I'd like to bust:

* Take NOTE that I am NOT AN ATTORNEY so please verify the information below with your own Attorney* and don't just take my word for it.

1) one no longer needs to spend 4 months in Costa Rica to maintain your Residency. Now you are only required to be here 1 day a year.

2) one no longer needs to deposit one's social security income in a Costa Rica bank to maintain or renew Residency.

There are web sites all over the net that say otherwise but they are based on old information.
This info is correct as of 08-20-17. Remember things can always change so ask a residency attorney to be sure!

samramon ViP

1338POSTS

8 years ago

#77

As to my post above I see that my info was partially wrong but I cannot edit it now.
Okay so here's a link to a Residency Attorney who writes about how it depends as to when you got your residency, as to whether or not you need to deposit money in a bank in Costa Rica.
https://outlierlegal.com/2016/08/07/ren … y-part-ii/

myraann Member

3POSTS

7 years ago

#78

I used ACRC and they were terrible. They jacked us around for nearly two years. Only after we would call and call, then a miracle would happen, then we would wait again. Never returned calls. The worst every. We ended up doing it ourselves at immigration.

Later, when we renewed, we did it ourselves again. But something got stuck in the system. We were approved, but never got our cedulas. Immigration continued to ask us to return over and over. Finally, we called Outlier Legal and they got it completed in 24 hours. I highly recommend them. They are reasonable and efficient.

Surffeaver Active member

57POSTS

7 years ago

#79

Most attorneys in Costa Rica simply take your money,and do nothing.They call you when they need money for "gastos" (expences). As far as the immigration process is concerned,be prepared for a truly stressful experience as it will try your patience to the extreme,as the rules seem to be different from person to person or if you just happen to talk to the them on a day when they are in a good mood.A good day to schedule your appointment at the immigration office is Friday afternoon,Buena suerte!

The Costa Rica expat guide

Updated in 2026, comprehensive and free

Read it now

samramon ViP

1338POSTS

7 years ago

#80

Surffeaver wrote:
Most attorneys in Costa Rica simply take your money,and do nothing.They call you when they need money for "gastos" (expences). As far as the immigration process is concerned,be prepared for a truly stressful experience as it will try your patience to the extreme,as the rules seem to be different from person to person or if you just happen to talk to the them on a day when they are in a good mood.A good day to schedule your appointment at the immigration office is Friday afternoon,Buena suerte!

You used the wrong attorney.
I used outlier and the process was SO easy I was actually amazed and delighted.
I have no connection to them other than having used them and had a good experience.
They had someone go with us to every appointment (and only 3 appointments, at that), and each time it was super easy and relatively quick.

The worst part for us was having to leave the country every 90 days to renew my driver's license by leaving for 5 min and entering again. The law says just cross and re-enter but some border guards may force you to stay longer in the country you're visiting. We were told "3 hours" but we came back in 2 and got through ok.)

Residency has gotten a lot easier over the years and as I say, our experience was that it was super easy!