Ecuador Residency

For an American immigrant citizen to Ecuador, any documents you submit to the Ecuadoran government for a visa must be notarized and apostilled from your US place of origin. That is birth certificate, educational degrees for a work visa, police report, all of it. If you are of working age and intending to move to Ecuador as a wage earner looking for a work visa, well that's going to be a very hard shake indeed.

-However-

Just thinking out loud here, what if you were to approach the issue from a different perspective and apply for the Ecuadoran visa[s] as an act of asylum (from Ukrania)? This would entail fewer document appraisals and perhaps make the process a bit easier.

If you look at the Ecuadoran embassy website you will find that the immigration process for just regular everyday immigrants is one thing, and people applying for asylum is a whole different thing.

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=379032

I read not long ago that Ecuador has one of the highest proportions of asylum immigrants in south America, 400,000 or or so.

So if you downplay your Americanism, and upplay the wife's/children's oppressed Ukranianism seeking asylum, it's possible that might be a better strategy for all of you.

In a world of global workforce oversupply, immigration anywhere is a bitch. Just being a working Joe looking to move might sink your ship. Take a long hard look at the asylum process.

Interesting approach.  I'll look into it.  I have Ukraine residency docs that would explain why I am not coming from America.

Thanks,

I have some experience with international immigration, and as far as documents and visas go, asylum is probably the easiest visa process. Asylum seekers are granted visas on a much more liberal basis than workers just looking to move somewhere else. Asylum is covered under the UN Human rights convention (please don't ask me to look it up and cite the clauses), and is much harder for governments to deny.

Do  you happen to have a link to the asylum page and a recommendation on a Quito attorney?  A quick Google search showed me more of Snowden than was even helpful.  :-(

Asylum is a sticky wicket that depends on the whims of governments at the moment. But these are good times for Ukranians looking for asylum elsewhere.

As it is late and I am tired, I leave you with this page to browse and google accordingly.
http://ecuador.usembassy.gov/service/li … uador.html

12:IV Asylum and refugee

Ecuador's embassy website is fairly schitteous. Obviously internet tech is not one of their priorities.

Still I think the asylum angle may be your best approach.

I wish you and your family every happiness.

Thanks for your input.  I have my own technology based business and was even the PMO manager for the Ministry of Interior Saudi Arabia, so I hoping there's something in our bag of tricks here for residency.  I know there are many expats in Ecuador.

WVolpe: I'll second Gardener's point that everything must be notarized and appostilled in the same locale from which it is issued. Therefore, if your college transcript is from (for example) Arizona State, then it must be notarized by a notary in Arizona and appostilled by Arizona's Sec of State. If you have a good friend/relative living there, maybe you can get them to do the legwork for you (I took care of one document that way -- my daughter handled it). Otherwise, you may have to go to the US and do that stuff yourself before heading to Ecuador. 

I know nothing about asylum, but it might well be easier.

In any case, good luck.

Bob

PS: I know a good visa lawyer in Quito, but I don't know if he knows anything about your sort of issues. He did a great job for me on my pensionado visa, and he might at least be able to point you in the right direction. His name is Pedro Novillo (pedro.novillo17@foroabogados.ec).

BobH: thanks for the input.  Cripes!  Didn't f'ing think my degree had to be apostilled from the state of the college.  Guess I will only do one if I go that route and we won't worry about the Ukraine universities.  Thanks for the lawyer recommendation.  Looks like asylum is good.  Geez, USA man marries Ukraine woman, becomes Ukrainian resident, and seeks asylum in Ecuador.  I need a beer.

WVolpe3 wrote:

BobH: thanks for the input.  Cripes!  Didn't f'ing think my degree had to be apostilled from the state of the college.  Guess I will only do one if I go that route and we won't worry about the Ukraine universities.  Thanks for the lawyer recommendation.  Looks like asylum is good.  Geez, USA man marries Ukraine woman, becomes Ukrainian resident, and seeks asylum in Ecuador.  I need a beer.

I think a beer will not meet the challenge. Several honey-pepper Niemeroff's should do the trick.

An easier option might be an investment visa. Unless the amount has changed since I got my (retiree) visa all you need invest is US$25,000. Asylum visas can be subject to changing political winds so if you do want to try that I would suggest you talk to at least a couple of people who very recently obtained one.

It might seem irrelevant, but am very familiar with U.S. asylum laws, which are consistent with UN principles.  In the US,  foreign nationals must prove that they were persecuted on account of their political opinion, religion, race, membership in a particular social group (i.e.labor leaders), or fear persecution if they return to their homeland (or both).  In that case, you might like to consider your wife as the principal asylum seeker.  I would also suggest you first contact the Ecuadorian Embassy in Ukraine and explain your case to them.  They may consider you and family as "refugees", and help your entry into Ecuador with documents in hand, if you meet their standards.

smitty88 wrote:

An easier option might be an investment visa. Unless the amount has changed since I got my (retiree) visa all you need invest is US$25,000. Asylum visas can be subject to changing political winds so if you do want to try that I would suggest you talk to at least a couple of people who very recently obtained one.

Polical winds change???  What about financial winds??? Wouldn't put a dime in an an Ecuadorian bank now.

WVolpe:

Can't US citizens bring wife/kids that are seeking asylum to US? And then go for EC residency like everyone else and get residency during 90 tourist visa period. Looked into professional visa and you need to get transcripts translated to prove your education in a given subject is equal to what is offered at their universities Don't know what you'd do if it was better. They like doing their own translation. Had you considered writing to your university for set of sealed transcripts. They love stamps and seals and could be mailed anywhere. How can you apostille something so official? Right? Maybe the lawyer can help you. A good one can get practically anything by the bureaucrats. If I remember my Russian you call them aparratchkis, no? Maybe Gardener could post some of the photos again. My favorite were the Bolivians but the Russian ones were pretty funny too. Some little town in eastern Russia. Should have saved it.