- A migrant recounted the obstacles of waiting to renew her identity documents.
Venezuelan migrants who are already established in Ecuador must have an exceptional temporary residence visa (Virte) to remain in the country and be able to do any daily activity such as working, banking and driving.
The renewal of this visa is mandatory for all Venezuelan migrants, even for those who form their family with Ecuadorian citizens.
Oriana Salazar, a Venezuelan migrant in Ecuador, must renew her Virte visa in November, despite the fact that during her stay in that country she married an Ecuadorian.
The migrant told her testimony for the newspaper The Universe of Ecuador about the obstacles that carrying out this procedure implies for her. He explained that settling with a family in that country does not mean any improvement in immigration status.
What is preferable for anyone in this type of case is that those of us who want to stay in Ecuador can access permanence in the country; There are people like me who are established,” Salazar said for El Universo.
In the month of August, the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, issued a decree to grant a migration amnesty and establish an extraordinary regularization process for people of Venezuelan nationality.
In a statement from the Foreign Ministry, published on September 27, it was recalled that the procedure is intended for Venezuelans whose Virte visa is currently valid and within the period of 30 days prior to its expiration date. The document allows legal residence in that country for two years, and can only be renewed once to extend its validity for two more years.
A journey of procedures
Salazar reported that when he arrived in the country in 2016 he had a Unasur visa; Then he accessed a humanitarian document and then obtained his Virte.
He explained that without the visa he would be in a situation of immigration irregularity, so he would not be able to make bank withdrawals or paperwork, because these agencies ask for a valid identification document.
The migrant indicated that in the future she has plans to be able to access permanent or indefinite residence through marriage. However, he said that this procedure costs $150.
Salazar expressed that the renewal of the Virte can now be carried out online, but that the process takes longer than when it is done in person. Plus, it costs $50.
The migrant obtained a driver’s license in 2023, a document that is valid for five years. In your case, the permit will lose its validity when your residence visa expires.
Something similar happens with the temporary foreigner ID, another document that is tied to the validity of the resilience visa. This means another investment of time and money ($10) for Salazar after his visa renewal.
The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry has granted visas of this type to more than 94 thousand Venezuelans since October 2022. Likewise, this entity hopes to regularize at least 96 thousand more migrants of that nationality.
How to apply for the visa?
Once you log in to the Digital Services page, you must check the “Visas” option on the left of the menu and then the “New procedure” option in the upper right corner. Then, in the “Choose service” button, the Renewal option must be checked.
If the document to be renewed does not appear, you must press the “Register Visa” button and complete the form with all the requested information. It is important at this point to choose temporary resident in the immigration quality field, and then specify Temporary Residence-Virte in the visa type field. Afterwards, the expiration date of the visa is set.
Once all the steps have been completed, you return to the previous screen and select the registered document. The renewal process may take a while if the visa has just been registered in the system, which is why a red notification appears when completing the process.
During registration, you must enter the city in which the visa was granted, since while the application is being processed you must go to the ministry office to submit the following information:
-Certificate of Immigration Permanence.
-Visa application duly completed.
-Valid passport or identity card.
-Ecuador Criminal Record Certificate. If you have left the country for more than 90 days, you must bring the document from the country of origin duly legalized and apostilled.
-Birth certificate (in the case of minors).
-Payment of the consular fee. The form costs $50, plus another $10 for the regularization order.
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