Immigration
Delays Fines For
Illegals
The Dirección
General de
Migración y
Extranjería
(immigration
service) will
not be charging
the us$100 fine
for living
illegally in the
country for at
least another
six months,
explained the
director, Mario
Zamora.
The delay,
Zamora said, is
allowing illegal
immigrant a
grace period to
legalize their
situation.
The fine for
overstaying a
stay in Costa
Rica is called
for in article
33 of the Ley
No. 8764 went
into effect on
March 1, 2010.
However,
according to
Zamora, who will
be leaving the
immigration
service in two
weeks, time is
needed for the
immigration
service to draft
regulations
regarding the
charging and
mechanisms for
collection of
the fine.
"It is being
revised and
adjusted," said
the director.
Once the
regulations are
in place, Zamora
explained that
the payment of
the fine can be
made at any
point of entry
or exit to Costa
Rica, that
includes land
crossing points,
as well as
airports.
The regulation
calls for a
barring of
re-entry of any
illegal person
who does not pay
the fine before
leaving the
country. The bar
of re-entry will
be up to three
times the period
of illegal stay
in the country.
The new
immigration law
also forces
foreigners who
want to renew
their work visa
or residency to
be voluntary
contributors to
the Caja
Costarricense de
Seguro Social (CCSS).
According to the
CCSS, that
regulation alone
has seen as 63%
increase in
contributors in
the past month
or so.
Those foreigners
are also
required to
provide a birth
certificate
notarized by the
Costa Rican
consulate in the
country of
origin (save for
those countries
who issue the
certificates in
Costa Rica) and
a police record,
as well as a
guarantee
deposit for the
value of a
flight out of
Costa Rica to
the country of
origin.
The guarantee,
according to
Zamora, is to
allow the
foreigner to be
deported in the
event they
commit a crime
in Costa Rica.
However, the
fine excludes
foreigners who
are in Costa
Rica as
refugees,
according to
Vanessa Leandro,
legal advisor to
the Alto
Comisionado de
la ONU para los
Refugiados (Acnur)
in Costa Rica.
The new
immigration law
also sanctions
employers who
hire illegals.
Article 177 of
the new
immigration law
allow for a fine
of up to 12
basic salaries
of a class 1
office worker,
which is
currently
between ¢443.000
and ¢2.6 million
colones.
Director Zamora
emphasized that
the fine for
employers is not
being deferred
and is
applicable.
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