Immigration
Ley 25.871 treats migration as a human right, with Mercosur residence
Ley 25.871 is unusual in expressly recognising migration as a human right and guaranteeing migrants access to health care and education regardless of status. Dirección Nacional de Migraciones administers temporary and permanent residence. Nationals of Mercosur and associated states can obtain residence on the basis of nationality alone, without needing a job offer or economic criteria.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Federal, administered by Dirección Nacional de Migraciones
- Deadline — Temporary residence: generally granted for one year, renewable
- Deadline — Permanent residence: available after two or three years of continuous temporary residence depending on category
- Deadline — Citizenship: two years of lawful residence
Governing law
- Ley 25.871 - Ley de Migraciones
- Decreto 616/2010implementing regulation
- Mercosur Residence AgreementAcuerdo sobre Residencia
In practice
The Mercosur nationality route is the most-used pathway and reflects a deliberate regional-integration policy: an applicant from Brazil, Chile, Bolivia or another member or associated state qualifies by proving nationality and a clean criminal record. Argentine citizenship is available after only two years of lawful residence, which is short by international standards, and is granted by a federal judge rather than an administrative body.