Immigration Application Approvals Delayed for Accredited Companies

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At a Glance

• The adjudication of initial residence permits, change of status applications and change of employer applications filed by accredited companies in Costa Rica are delayed by several weeks past normal processing times.
•  Visa renewal applications by accredited companies are still being adjudicated within standard processing times.

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The situation

The adjudication of immigration applications for residence permits, change of status applications and change of employer applications for accredited companies are delayed up to three to four weeks past the previous processing time frames of 14 weeks.

A closer look

• Reason for delays. There is a significant backlog of applications filed by accredited companies at the General Immigration Directorate (DGME) due to a shortage of personnel. 
• Processing timelines. Officially, authorities are supposed to process applications within 30 business days, but this is not observed in practice. During the past year, applications have generally been adjudicated within approximately 14 weeks; however, due to the delays, the estimated processing time has increased to 17 to 18 weeks.
• Unaffected applications. Visa renewal applications filed by accredited companies are still being adjudicated within standard processing times. Additionally, visa applications filed by non-accredited companies are not affected by these delays.

 

Impact

• Employers and foreign nationals should expect delayed work start dates and travel plans.
• Foreign nationals with expired residence cards may face issues re-entering Costa Rica and initiating certain government services or financial processes.

 

Looking ahead

Based on Fragomen’s discussions with the National Immigration Directorate, a solution to the delays is expected in the coming months. Fragomen will report on relevant developments.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].