UK to Paraguay - Immigration Lawyers - Part 1
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I have been in Paraguay with my family for 9 months.
As so many who have, or are considering the move will appreciate, the whole process was full of excitement & trepidation in equal measure.
There were so many processes to complete, especially as we were intending to bring all of our worldly goods, set up a business & buy a house.
From the outset it became clear to us that we really needed expert advice, but where does one start?
We knew absolutely no one in Paraguay. We had never even been there (I know, it sounds crazy, but it was some sort of ‘sixth sense’ that made us feel that this was where we were meant to be.) Only one of us could speak some Spanish but not to the level that would be required to complete all of the administrative processes.
We began to search online for immigration lawyers. There were many warnings about unscrupulous players & dodgy dealings, but when you’re starting from zero, at some point you’re going to have to ‘bite the bullet.’
After some considerable time spent on researching, checking credentials (where possible,) & procrastination, I happened upon a post which resonated with me.
An immigration lawyer whose posts I had been reading stood out. I can’t explain exactly why, but sometimes one gets a strong sense of authenticity from the way that a person writes.
The Lawyer in question was called ***.
So, I plucked up the courage to get this thing started & I wrote to S***.
From the outset she was wonderful. She speaks & writes perfect English as does her business partner ***. S*** replied to my questions really quickly & in an easy to understand & straightforward yet thorough manner.
For some considerable time we were sending e-mails back & forth & even though I had made no commitment to use her company, she never failed to be attentive & incredibly helpful. That fact alone made me feel great confidence in her. She wasn’t ‘hustling’ me or being pushy, she just offered brilliant advice & insight. I know that she spent a great deal of time, constantly checking that her information was up to date, calling people from immigration & shipping so that I could be provided with answers to all of my questions. Nothing was ever too much trouble.
Eventually we did indeed ‘bite the bullet’ & started the ball rolling by paying S**** a deposit for her immigration services. Everything that we would need to pay was clearly set out as staged payments for each part of the service provided. We knew exactly what we would need to pay, when we would have to pay it & exactly what it was for.
By the time that we were due to arrive in Paraguay, I felt like I knew S***.
A couple of days after we arrived, S*** business partner L***** began to deal with the ‘nuts & bolts’ of everything that we needed to do. He met us at our hotel with all of the preliminary paperwork that we needed to sign to start our immigration process.
We immediately felt at ease with him. Just like S***, he inspired confidence with his professionalism & efficiency. He is also just a really lovely guy. He & Sally work incredibly hard & over time we felt that we really got to know each other well. We now consider them both to be friends & we trust them implicitly.
UK to Paraguay - Immigration Lawyers - Part 2
After just 3 months they had performed miracles. We had everything ‘sorted’ including permanent residencies, starting the process of buying a house & buying a car!
Getting the residencies completed involved a great deal of travelling around to different Government Departments & lots & lots of signatures/photos/rubber stamps. L*** would pick us up & ferry us around for hours at a time. Similarly, trying to buy a vehicle (not an easy or straightforward process,) was made possible by L**** making sure that we got the very best deal. (He’s a formidable negotiator.) Sally also put us in touch with an absolutely brilliant mechanic, Enrique. He is everything a mechanic should be & we shall continue to use his services because he is extremely good at what he does & utterly trustworthy. (When you don’t have a clue about where to go or what to do, help like this is priceless.)
Both S**** & L**** helped us to try to find a suitable home to buy. They took us out on several trips to look at properties &, to be honest, they were both great fun to be with. As individuals they are as different as chalk & cheese but they work so well together. They both have a brilliant sense of humour which helped so much with all of the stresses & yet again, nothing ever seemed to be too much trouble. They always communicate really quickly. At times we knew that they were incredibly busy & were working horrendously long hours, but they never made us feel that we didn’t have their undivided attention.
We absolutely love Paraguay. The vast majority of people that we have encountered have been so nice to us. People genuinely want to be as helpful as they can. The whole vibe here is more peaceful. I don’t think that I have seen one angry person yet.
The capital, Asuncion is a bit of a mad house. The traffic seems insane at times but you get used to it. Like most cities, there’s evidence of extreme wealth & extreme poverty which can be uncomfortable to witness. In some areas there are problems with crime, but in all honesty, we’ve never felt threatened by it. If there is one overriding impression, it is one of optimism. The people here have an energy & independence about them. Even though our understanding of the political & economic landscape is sorely limited by our lack of knowledge & experience, there seems to be so much promise of better things to come.
There are difficulties. It’s hard to imagine, but it’s like the 21st century collides with the 1950’s. So, on the one hand there is modern technology, but on the other, there are also cripplingly slow, painfully outdated administrative protocols which are frustrating in the extreme. But this country appears to have achieved amazing things with very limited resources. Wherever you go there are signs of progress.
As newcomers we realised that there would be challenges. There are many things that we miss from home, but right now, whatever the sacrifices have been & will be, we feel that it was worth it. We’re not here to take, but to contribute as much as possible to a beautiful country that has been generous enough to allow us to try.
If you’re considering coming here, the one piece of advice that I would give is that you absolutely must learn to speak at least some basic Spanish. Without it, life can feel very isolated & confusing. If you cannot express yourself, no one knows who you are. That aspect has been particularly tough.
When you’re ready, get in touch with R****. You will be in safe hands. (Friends of ours have recently done just that & they are really happy that they followed our recommendation to use S**** & L***.)
Fantastic to hear that! Haven't heard so positive post in a long time. Great to read your story!
You will love Paraguay, you will love Asuncion. Asuncion is one of the best cities in LATAM for family lifestyle.
Just learn Español and it's gonna open your reach and horizons.
Good luck! 
@karenmay321 Thank you Karen! It is a pleasure working with you and your family and we are so thrilled to learn how happy and comfortable you are with our services 
Hello everyone,
Welcome @Karenmay,
thank you for sharing your experience on the forum, however, names and company names had to be removed. We appreciate and encourage active participation on existing discussions of the Paraguay forum, but our community guidelines prohibit any form of advertising, including indirect promotion. This ensures that our platform remains a space primarily for genuine discussion and exchange of ideas.
I suggest that you recommend the professional you have used in the Paraguay business directory or in private message if members enquire.
Thank you in advance
Bhavna
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