QCOSTARICA — Costa Rica’s immigration service, the Dirección de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), has started a three-month plan to update 6,000 pending applications from foreigners, who requesting permanent residency as investors, rentiers, and entrepreneurs.
“The increase in foreign direct investment in Costa Rica is accompanied by a greater number of applications through which it is intended to materialize these investments, income and entrepreneurship.
“For this reason, it is strategic and necessary for the country to legalize these people in immigration terms,” the DGME stated
The process will apply to the following foreigners:
- Investors of real estate and registrable assets, shares, securities, projects of national interest or productive projects and venture capital funds.
- Investors in sustainable tourism infrastructure projects.
- Rentiers and entrepreneurs with income greater than US$2,500 monthly.
The review process of each case includes a thorough security filter, such as a verification against Interpol and other databases to try to guarantee the suitability of the applicants for residency.
The DGME has enhanced its workforce for the implementation of the “Plan de Atención Inmediata” (Immediate Attention Plan) by adding five legal professionals and scheduling overtime to ensure all pending applications are resolved within three months.