Conversation anyone? Ecuador has gone mighty quiet

Unless one is a facilitator or an immigration attorney very few of us here are up to date on visa policies.  Policies and priorities of any government are subject to change.  I have no idea how positively or negatively the Govt of Ecuador views the results of their migration policy.  I suspect - but do not know - that immigration like all other programs is evaluated and changes made according to their priorities.  For my part anything else would be a S.W.A.G.

I have not heard - at least here in Cuenca - of people being turned down with verifiable govt based pensions - ie, Social Security.

Since immigration and visas are all about satisfying bureaucrats and their document requirements, I thought you all might enjoy this photographic essay -

Government offices around the world

http://www.cracktwo.com/2011/04/governm … world.html

Thanks.  The govt offices here are considerably better than some I saw in the photos.  Even in the last office I worked where every desk had a computer, we had rows of safes filled with cases....Paper is still with us.

Politics economics, crime all verboten subjects on the EC  Forum.   Wish there were some pics of the government offices in EC......... or the banks

Can't give you a photo of a bank in Ecuador, but i can briefly describe our favorite bank in Quito. In the historic district, about two blocks from the Presidential palace.

Banco de Bolivia. Classic 19th century European architecture painted mint green. The ATM was mounted to the building wall on the sidewalk which did not make me very happy, but the card slot was barrier-ed by curved welded steel bars, some happiness there. A handsome policia of some kind was stationed in front of the door to the bank just a few feet away, wearing a very impressive gun slung across his front, Kalashnikov I'm guessing. We lived in eastern Europe for years, there is just something comforting about a an attractive young fellow slung with an impressive gun that I'm a sucker for. Especially in front of a bank.

There is no way on god's green earth I would ever have snapped such a photo. I just store these seen images up in my mind where I can rummage through them any time I like. We have all but stopped taking photos when traveling, as there is so much widespread resentment of surreptitious public photography amongst the people of the world - understandably so.

Yes, sounds wonderful, all we have here are surveillance cameras............. And the only handsome young policia here with Kalishnikovs   are wearing riot gear so you can't see them for the face shields and the tear gas......Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh........   to live in a stable country like Ecuador

H

To answer a couple of queries. The Govt offices are generally a lot better than they used to be. There is still a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy but trust me when I say they have improved a lot. I have lived here for almost 20 years and you wouldn't believe how bad some of them were in the 90's.

To answer the comment that discussion of crime is "verboten" then maybe have a look at my blog. I have worked in security in Ecuador for a long time and will be posting security related info at daxcostello.com

Regards
Dax

I will be getting on a plane with a few suitcases to hold a very condensed lifetime in about 3 weeks.  I found that an Ecuadorian attorney was a superb investment.  (Can send her name if desired).
The state apostille process was cheap and easy when I could do it myself.  When it was too far (or when Feds involved) many services are available to take care of it.  Downside is their cost. However time line (90 days) is such that I had no choice.  Flights to do it myself were more expensive.
International movers will walk you through the process if you are taking a lot of stuff.  I can't comment because I decided that most of my stuff was not that necessary.
My attorney doesn't get most of her money until the process is successfully completed so I feel comfortable that she wants it to be quick and easy once I arrive.  Will keep you posted.  So far the hardest part was going to the consulate in Chicago (just the time for travel etc. Consulate was extremely helpful). The most expensive part was the apostille service.
Hope my experience answers a few questions.
cb

Regarding your questions: 'What qualifies as a dependent for immigration income visa purposes'?

With a permanent pensioners' visa, the pensioner must have a minimum income of $800/month + $100 per dependent. Also, a spouse or child of the pensioner is a dependent.

Since this is a thread about anything, I was wondering if anyone else has been following the unfolding scandals of several libertarian communities looking for investors in south America.

The current most scandalous is the apparent fail of Galt's Gulch Community in Chile which has been pumped by Dollar Vigilante's Jeff Berwick. The property is in legal limbo, water rights are unsecure, and nobody seems to know where the money went. Holee smokes.

The Fate of Galt's Gulch Chile
http://thedailybell.com/editorials/3559 … lch-Chile/
Don't miss the comments.

Apparently the mysterious Soverign Man was also trying to set up a community in Chile which is also in legal limbo. And the slightly more reputable Doug Casey has been pushing his freedom community in Argentina (Argentina, really?) which may become subject to some new tax laws Christina Kirchner is busy dreaming up.

This is a pretty interesting forum thread about all three projects.
http://www.internationalman.com/im-foru … read/2757/

Glad I just rent an apartment. Pay the rent, pay the electric bill. Done.

I can't stop laughing ... 

gardener1 wrote:

Since this is a thread about anything, I was wondering if anyone else has been following the unfolding scandals of several libertarian communities looking for investors in south America.

Sounds like the only thing they liberate is other people's money.

gardener1 wrote:

And the slightly more reputable Doug Casey has been pushing his freedom community in Argentina (Argentina, really?) which may become subject to some new tax laws Christina Kirchner is busy dreaming up.

This is a pretty interesting forum thread about all three projects.
http://www.internationalman.com/im-foru … read/2757/

Glad I just rent an apartment. Pay the rent, pay the electric bill. Done.

Here's a fairly objective view of Doug Casey's project, or at least a different opinion.
Woops, the link wanted to post won't go through. Anyway, basically a guy born and raised in Argentina is saying it's crap land in the middle of nowhere, and only an idiot would buy there. His words not mine.

Got a laugh out of the link to Galt's Gulch where the women said "savvy investors." Guess I have a different opinion of what a savvy investor is.

When you are young it's called being naive, and idealistic. Once you reach a certain age it becomes stupidity, and ignorance. Kind of hard to feel sorry for some people.

Try copy & pasting the link again. I'd really like to see the article you're referring to.

gardener1 wrote:

Try copy & pasting the link again. I'd really like to see the article you're referring to.

Let's try this again. Think I got it this time, and for the record the guy is now living in Ireland, but is Argentinian, and knows the land.

http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2012/01/why- … ayate.html

Yeah, I know who ferfal is, like his blog.

But who escapes Argentina to Ireland?? This confounds me. Or maybe he has a thing for bankrupt countries?

Thanks for the link.

gardener1 wrote:

Yeah, I know who ferfal is, like his blog.

But who escapes Argentina to Ireland?? This confounds me. Or maybe he has a thing for bankrupt countries?

Thanks for the link.

Maybe a grass is greener on the other side mentality. Who knows. Haven't been to Argentina, so have no perspective. Have been to Ireland a few times, and always thought highly of it. Of course that's from a tourist perspective. Sure if was living there, the perspective would be different.

We successfully obtained a pension visa and dependent (as a spouse) Visa in March of 2014. We did it ourselves through the Cuenca office, and except for some minor hiccups (expired documents & Christmas, which delayed required paperwork) things went pretty smoothly. From all accounts, the Cuenca office is the most demanding for correct documentation, as they are fairly new, but with patience it can be done.

I'm not sure if child dependents are only those under the age of 18 or with developmental disabilities...you could try contacting your local Ecuadorian Consulate for clarification.

The likely reason for the quiet is that it seems every Visa application is different and taken on a case by case basis, with different requirements depending on the processing office. (Be wary of anyone claiming to be an expert, but not being an Ecuadorian lawyer or "handler"). We've also successfully (at least to this point) shipped down a container of belongings once we received our residency.