extending a visitors visa to remain in Paraguay.

Member since 17 May 2023

SYVGRRLMember17 May 2023 04:06:07

Hello. My name is Tina and I live in the USA. This question is not about me, but rather our son. He left back in February on a 90-day visitors visa with the intention to stay and help build an "ecovillage." The man he is doing this with is a South African who is marketing himself and the project fraudulently. We know they have posted YouTube videos trying to gain "investors" to help pay. Their situation is this:

They are building rammed earth buildings on someone else's land. They themselves own no land in Paraguay.
They are luring people to Paraguay (so far, as much as we can tell, there are no takers) with the promise of a "new start" and a community for all.
Their plan has always been to build a prototype so that people would give them money, and to simply stay and reapply for visas under "humanitarian" reasons. The South African started a "nonprofit" "humanitarian" organization in Belfast, but has only put false information on his website.
His visitors visa expires this week. If he has not yet applied for a renewal, what penalties, if any, are there for overstaying?
Also, who do we contact to report the fraud?

ddow01 Active member

Member since 18 October 2021

ddow01Active member25 October 2023 18:04:24

It's too late to help your son, but I will post a reply in case anyone else is interested.聽 Folks from the US can/should get a 10-year visa.聽 That does NOT mean you can stay ten years. It's a prerequisite to temporary residency.聽 However, if you have it, you can temporarily exit Paraguay by bus, visit Argentina, and re-enter.聽 After I did that for about 14 months, I started getting pushback at the border but was able to get in anyway.聽 Shortly after, my residency application was accepted, so I have had to leave since.