Argentina’s Migration Service has begun suspending residence permits of Russian nationals who had received them by giving birth in the country but did not remain there to live full-time, national director of the service Florencia Carignano told TV channel C5N.
According to her, after the suspension the migration service can file a lawsuit to cancel the residence permit.
“What we are doing is suspending residence permits of those Russians who came here to receive a residence permit because their child is an Argentinian national, however, they spent more time abroad than in Argentina,” she said, as quoted by Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti and Argentina’s media outlet Urgente24.
Carignano clarified that when such cases will be considered in court the migration service will provide data about a permit having been suspended due to the person in question only “having spent a month in Argentina and never returning”.
“If the court, despite this information, wants to provide a person who doesn’t and has never lived in Argentina with a citizenship, that’s on them. We are cancelling permits [for these Russians],” she said.
Yesterday, 10 February, it was reported that six Russian women in late pregnancy were denied entry to Argentina. The migration service explained that the women had not been let into the country due to providing fake information about the purpose of the trip: the Russians claim that they came to Argentina as tourists, but the service claims that they arrived in the country for “birth tourism” with the goal to give birth in Argentina so their children receive Argentinian citizenship.
Eventually, the women were allowed entry into the country by court.
According to Argentinian laws, newborns receive citizenship by birthright. In such cases, the children’s parents receive residence permits, with an opportunity to receive citizenship under the simplified procedure in the future.
TV channel C5N reports that Argentinian authorities have begun investigating organisations that deal in “birth tourism”. According to the migration service, the women are offered different packages, one of which costs $15,000. “Behind these women stand mafiosi that make a lot of money,” Carignano added.
According to Carignano, over 10,000 Russians have entered Argentina over the past year, many pregnant women among them. For example, on 9 February an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Argentina had 33 Russian women, 32-34 weeks pregnant, on it, Carignano said. “We’re happy to welcome those who plan to move and raise their children in Argentina. The problem is that some people come here, give birth, register their children as Argentinian [citizens], and then leave, never coming back,” she clarified.
