Chile Permanent Residence

Chinese immigration to Chile up 215 percent in 8 years

By Steve Shea

The Chinese population in Chile, according to figures released by the interior ministry, experienced the third-highest growth rate among foreign communities here between 2002 and 2010, behind only Peru and Colombia. A 215 percent increase was reported during the period, with the Chinese immigrant population rising from 1,653 to 5,208 by 2010.

The boom in Chinese immigration closely reflects Chile’s important trade relationship with the Asian power, as China is the country’s largest buyer. Trade between the two nations has grown steadily from US$6 million in 1984 to US$20 billion in 2010, La Tercera reports.

Hexing Wang, president of the Association of Chinese Businessmen, told La Tercera the typical Chinese immigrant to Chile is a man between 20 and 40 years old who moves with his wife and either opens a small import/export business or works in mining.

The largest concentration of Chinese immigrants is in Santiago, but there are also significant communities in major northern cities such as Antofagasta, Iquique and Arica, due to their proximity to mining sites.

The boom in Chinese immigration has been so beneficial to Chile that the government is working to reform immigration laws to make the transition easier for those immigrants.

Undersecretary for the Interior Rodrigo Ubilla told La Tercera that the government is working to modify the 1975 immigration law, created during the Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990), to keep out subversives. “We want to relax the visa system and, in return, streamline the process for foreigners.”

Why I Left the United States for Chile

April 1, 2013
Steve Yates

On May 31 to June 1, 2012, I moved from Greenville, South Carolina, to Santiago, Chile. My belongings, loaded onto a container a few days before, were already on their way.

I’d left a part-time teaching position as an adjunct at a public university. The job was as stable as such jobs ever are, with at least three courses per semester for very low pay. I’d asked for a salary increase since I’d been there seven years, and was turned down. I chose to walk away.

“Why did you do it?” is a common question I receive—and “Why Chile?”

Unlike the United States and Europe, Chile is not in decline. The economy here is stronger than almost anywhere in the northern hemisphere. Construction projects abound in Santiago. The cost of living is lower than any city of comparable size in the United States. The Pacific-coastal climate is ideal. Scenery around the country is unparalleled.

Given that Chile is a long, narrow country with over 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometres) of coastline, separated from the rest of South America by the Andes, you can be on the ocean, drive for perhaps two and a half hours, and be in the mountains!

There is an abundance of available land for purchase, and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. You won’t go hungry here!

Industries such as mining are thriving. Chile leads the world in copper, for example.

The Chilean people are peaceful, friendly, and helpful. They basically like gringos, something not true in all Latin American countries. Chile is not at war with anyone, and has neither designs on its neighbors nor an agenda of world domination.

Roughly 5.6 million people live in greater Santiago (around 40 percent of Chile’s population). It is a first world city, with a public transportation system at least as good, if not better, than anything found up north. TranSantiago, the company owning the Metro (as the subway system is called here), continues to build new lines crisscrossing the city. There is abundant bus transportation going to neighborhood nooks and crannies the Metro can’t reach.

In other words, unlike most big cities in the United States, you don’t need a car to get around! This is a definite plus, as gas is more expensive and auto maintenance leaves something to be desired—or so people tell me.

Health care is significantly less expensive and, again, is as good if not better than what you can obtain in the States. (Obamacare, on the other hand, will likely wreck what’s left of health care in the U.S. within four years, if not sooner.) Private health insurance is also less expensive and easy to obtain.

Internet access is as efficient here as in the United States.

It’s not just the economy, though. The sense of latent hostility that emanated from every corner of the U.S. is absent here. Santiago’s inner city is a thriving environment of work, education, and entertainment, not a boiling cauldron of racial resentment like, for example, Boston, Milwaukee, Atlanta, or countless other U.S. cities. In Chile, you are far less likely to be pepper-sprayed, struck in the head with batons, or tasered into oblivion by militarized police. The bottom line is, compared to similar environments in the U.S., you will be safe in your apartment or home, at work, and on transportation.

In case you’re wondering why I spend so much time down here…

Simon Black
February 14, 2012

One of the local papers here in Chile ran an interesting story a few days ago about the number of young Spanish immigrants coming to Chile in search of work.

Fed up with the ridiculously high unemployment rate in Spain, and tired of being shut out of every single opportunity imaginable, a handful of intrepid young souls is starting to look for greener pastures abroad. And increasingly, that journey is bringing them to Chile.

The report, published in El Mostrador, profiles several young people who’ve left Spain’s roughly 50% youth unemployment rate. Stymied by the lackluster prospects in Europe, and the even worse prospects (and visa challenges) in the US, they’ve set their sights on Latin America.

Most found success in Chile’s rapidly growing economy where skilled, energetic young people are in demand. For some, the opportunities here in Chile were so plentiful when they arrived that they encouraged their friends and families back home in Spain to hop a flight and make a change for the better.

Santiago, Chile

Like America of the past, Chile is a country that’s friendly to productive, responsible, hard-working people. It’s very easy to obtain a residency visa and work permit– all you need is a work contract from just about any local company, and you’re entitled to what’s called a “sujeto a contrato” visa.

This particular visa is renewed after one year. After the second year of continuous employment, you’re entitled to permanent residency. Three years later, you can apply for naturalization and a Chilean passport, as long as you meet minimum time-in-country requirements.

Best of all, you don’t even need a lawyer. Compared to what I’ve seen in Europe and North America, the red tape involved in the Chilean immigration process is minimal; local companies in Chile have tremendous latitude in hiring foreign workers without the government getting involved.

I personally know a number of foreigners who have moved to Chile and obtained work visas in this way– South Africans, Americans, Canadians, Spaniards, French, Brits, Russians, Chinese…

One Cuban acquaintance of mine managed to escape the Castro absurdity 3 years ago. Rather than stow away for Miami, though, she opted for a much longer journey, making her way to Chile.

She eventually found a job with a Canadian mining company (an English-language environment) based here. This is remarkable when you think about it– that a foreign company can come to Chile and hire non-Chileans with ease.

In the article, Chile’s Labor Minister Bruno Baranda confirmed his government’s openness to foreigners, indicating that there is a major shortage of laborers, skilled workers, and professionals in mining, construction, and agriculture.

I can personally attest to the shortage of agricultural workers– it’s been extremely difficult to find so much as a day laborer in the town near our farm despite the premium wages we’ve been offering. As a result, I’m considering bringing in additional manpower from abroad under the ‘visa a contrato’ scheme.

Furthermore, agricultural professionals in my area like agronomists and irrigation specialists are often booked weeks in advance… another interesting indicator of the opportunities down here.

I’ve been saying this for a while now, but I’ll say it again: if the job market looks bleak where you are, take matters into your own hands… especially if you’re young and facing absolutely zero prospects. Get your feet wet abroad– the opportunities are much brighter, and the experience can be life-changing.

There are a lot of places in the world where foreigners can come to thrive– others include Singapore, Qatar, several places in the Caribbean, the United Arab Emirates, and many more. Chile just happens to be one of my favorites…

5 American startups that launched in Chile

Forget Silicon Valley, these entrepreneurs moved to South America to develop their startups.

Name: Benjamin Cohen
Company: TOHL

Benjamin Cohen moved to Santiago from Atlanta in the spring of 2012 when he was accepted into Start-Up Chile -- before even having a full business plan.

Cohen and the team at TOHL (Tubing Operations for Humanitarian Logistics) created a new way to install piping. They outfit a helicopter with a spool that deploys semi-flexible piping. Installation quick and doable over any kind of terrain, which makes it's easier to bring water to communities after a natural disaster or to poor areas that lack appropriate infrastructure.

"A lot of interesting business ideas are coming out of Start-Up Chile when they would have no chance in any other setting," Cohen said. "It gives to very early-stage companies when it's difficult to get investment."

Those who participate in the incubator don't have to stay in Chile after the six-month program is over, but Cohen is still there. Unlike a lot of the tech companies in the program, it's not as easy for TOHL to relocate. Plus, Cohen said he's forged business relationships in the country and has met potential clients he wouldn't want to lose. He made his first sale earlier this year.

5 American startups that launched in Chile

Name: Hugo Bernardo
Company: Easy Vino

When Hugo Bernardo was pitching his mobile sommelier service to restaurant owners in California, he had trouble getting five minutes of their time. They were being pitched by tons of other Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, but that's not the case in Chile.

Less than a year after completing the Start-Up Chile program, Easy Vino now operates in Chile and Brazil. The company advises restaurant owners on how to develop their wine lists and provides a mobile app their customers can use at the table when selecting wine to have with dinner.

More than 100 restaurants currently use the Easy Vino app, 60% of which are in Brazil.

"There's an equally big market, but a lot less competition here," Bernardo said. On the flip side, he said the startup community is not as strong in South America as it is in the U.S., which can make it harder to find talent.

5 American startups that launched in Chile

Name: Chris Campbell
Company: Review Trackers

Chris Campbell was strapped for cash when he joined Start-Up Chile in the summer of 2012. He used the $40,000 to help launch his tech startup Review Trackers when the program finished. The company, which helps businesses monitor online reviews about their services, has been growing by 80% each month since the launch, he said.

Campbell, like most participants in Start-Up Chile, did not stay in the country to operate his business. He returned to Chicago, but considers the connections he made with other entrepreneurs invaluable. There were about 100 people in his class from all over the world, including Argentina, Germany and India -- some of whom became his mentors and investors.

5 American startups that launched in Chile

Name: Shagun Malhotra
Company: SkyStem

Shagun Malhotra already had customers paying for her accounting software service, SkyStem, when she began Start-Up Chile.

Malhotra found doing business was much different in South America, and it was helpful to have the government backing to help open doors. She found that it was more about meeting over cups of coffee and less about making cold calls, which tend not to be very successful.

After the program, Malhotra returned to New York, but she used her time in Chile to form partnerships with IT companies that are now working to distribute her product in the Latin American market.

5 American startups that launched in Chile

Name: John Njoku
Company: Kwelia

John Njoku and his two co-founders, Chris Connell and Greg Phillips, moved to Chile after finishing a three-month accelerator program in Philadelphia. For him, Start-Up Chile was more of an incubator than an accelerator, because the team could take their time to refine their product.

Kwelia sells software that provides data about apartment rental prices for urban property managers. The team took the six months to enhance the software and is now back in the U.S. ready to sell the product to clients.

Njoku was eager to spend some time abroad, especially since Start-Up Chile streamlined the documentation process. The program set him up with a Chilean ID card and a personal bank account within two weeks.

Start-Up Chile and Why Many Americans are Itching to Enter This Early-Stage Accelerator

BY Andrea Huspeni
July 2, 2013

Want to attract a boatload of innovative entrepreneurs from all over the world? Give them free money.

As the Chilean government-backed Start-Up Chile can attest, offering up thousands in startup capital to intrepid young entrepreneurs is a quick way to gain some sizeable attention. The Santiago-based accelerator program is now gearing up for its seventh class of a 100 startups, and if it is anything like the prior classes, the majority of founders will be American.

So what gives? Why are young entrepreneurs from the states traveling thousands of miles away to participate in an accelerator program when they have a bevy available on their home turf? Incentives. Chile has strategically aligned the program to not only benefit startups across the planet but also help leverage global expertise to mentor its local entrepreneur market, making it a hot spot for entrepreneurs to work on their startup endeavors.

The biggest perk is the money. While typical U.S. incubators and accelerators offer cash-strapped startups funds in exchange for equity, Start-Up Chile is ponying up $40,000 equity-free to each startup. The no-strings attached, hands-off model has been a major enticement for American startups to flock to Chile. Of the total number of startups that have participated in the program, approximately 25 percent, or 170, have been from the states.

An added bonus: A melting pot of startups are participating in the program. By welcoming entrepreneurs from all over the world (28 countries are participating in this class) businesses looking to scale and break into specific markets are taking advantage of the diverse international demographic.

"The community is sometimes more important than the cash we provide," says Start-Up Chile's assistant director Sebastian Vidal. "If you are designing a product be global, it is great to have a community full of different countries test and give you feedback."

And the heated up Latin American market is adding to the lure, as businesses are looking to expand. Large companies like Twitter and Facebook have set-up shop here, a whole slew of startups are popping up and VCs and private equity firms invested $7.9 billion in companies located in Chile last year. That was a 21 percent increase from 2011, according to the Latin American Private Equity & Venture Capital Association.

Still, there's a catch. In return for offering $40,000 to startups, Start-Up Chile entrepreneurs are required to participate in a social-capital system, where they need to achieve 4,000 points throughout the program. Points can be achieved by getting involved with the local entrepreneurial community in activities like mentorship, lectures and networking events.

The pay-it-forward idea seems to be working so far, according to Start-Up Chile and the 40 other programs under the country's development agency Corfo. In recent years, the country has seen an influx of networking and hacking events like Hacks/Hackers, Women 2.0, Girls in Tech and Startup Weekend. There are also seminars on entrepreneurship and accelerators like Wayra.

The long coastal strip that hugs the South American continent is currently ranked No. 1 in Latin America for venture capital, according to the LAVCA. And Chile is looking to continue to push the movement with the recent passing of a law, allowing companies to incorporate in one day online for free.

Start-Up Chile does face headwinds, however. Even with the recent jump in capital, the success of the program and others that attract foreign entrepreneurs, is causing a shortage in funding.

"Some of the things that still need to be improved to make the Chilean entrepreneurial ecosystem stronger are the local VCs approach to startups and the fear of failure that's still common in our country," says Vidal.

Despite the challenge, he remains optimistic about turning Chile into a major hub.

"We want to have entrepreneurs here, as we want Chileans to be connected to innovation from around the world.

[video=youtube;415iM8rr1X8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=415iM8rr1X8[/video]

"Start-Up Chile was amazing both personally and to kickstart our company Pact. In the 6 months there, we were able to build our initial app and backend, to propel us toward launch. We also met some amazing people and traveled to Argentina and Patagonia” - Yifan Zhang, cofounder at Pact

Partners include Paypal, Amazon Web Services, Evernote, Microsoft BizPark, Microsoft Ventures, Softlayer and others

is chile cold during yr end?

Restaurant Xing Shun
Vicuna McKenna Poniente 8835
La Florida, Santiago, Chile

Good & authentic Cantonese food. Must try includes salt & pepper squid, sauteed kangkung, mabo tofu, prawn paste fried chicken, pan fried salmon steak, stewed pork with yam, kai lan with halibut fish slices and drunken prawns.

StartUp Chile
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=415iM8rr1X8

Don't miss the Place Marketing Forum 2014!

Here are the StartUp Chile participants that will receive US$40,000 equity-free capital from the Chilean government.

It's free money, don't miss the chance for the next round of participants! Accepting applications from Sept 2.




Australia: Adel Software, Glen Knight Associates, Box & Go, Zd Pty Ltd, eTutor;
Brazil: PXLT, Qualiall, SI2 – Sistema de Informação do Investidor;
Chile: Zenith, Apparel Dream, Biletu.com, Biometry Cloud, Boardganics, BookingMarkets, CityVoz, Compound Time, DNART LIMITADA, EC-Electro-Chlorinator, Fly Fishing Hunter, Fountainhead Technologies, IguanaBee in China, Manga Corta, Mas Con Movil, mibuzz.tv, MyStream, NECU Solutions, Nibu, PataFoods, RapaZapp interactive studios, Statoom, Vanilla, WESYNC SpA, WITOI, WOAUPI, Xpoints, Zcreen.com;
China: Hua JinYu, Shanghai Keelo, Tong Yuan, Pinxi Li, Tian Chang, HuanKu, Kepolilung, ShenXhen Tung, DongGuan Sifan, XinXiang Bada, HangZhou, Jiang Li, DongZhua, LianHe Mei, Hubei Hanua, Beijing ChengDu;
Denmark: Dane Am;
Estonia: Ketsu;
Finland: SquareRun;
France: infoPrestamos, RegalBox;
Germany: Ailola, LocalGuiding;
Hungary: Kipu Edu Ltda.;
India: Andean Designs, mobiotics, Nuovo Wind, Unbxd Software Private Limited, Wallwisher;
Israel: typotic;
Italy: Doochoo Inc., Medfiber;
Malaysia: Perusahaan Bandar, Pok Hong Lee, Lim Bros, Penang Electronics, Guan Eng Sdn Bhd, Abdul Samid Sdn Bhd;
Mexico: Cuponzote.com, Echopixel Technologies Inc., SeedShock;
Peru: WWW.PAPAYA.PE;
Republic of Ireland: Beanup.com;
Romania: Community Cloud, Media Explorers;
Singapore: Jet Technology, Huat Tan Pte Ltd;
Slovakia: QuantisLabs;
Slovenia: travelaBunch;
Spain: Certalia, New CyanSolar, tripku;
Sweden: aMind;
United States: Ambiente Motors DBA REDCloud EV, Art Qualified, Chef Surfing, Chu Shu, DoTheGlobe, eHealth Systems, El Oro del Mar, Global Connex, Información Abierta, Intuitive Motion, Inversiones Rise, kinoos.com, Kwelia, Kwica, Localisto, Mysterio, Network Labs, Sphere Labs Inc., Sprout Route, Print.com, Refleta, Regalii, St. Eats, The Privity Network, Tubing Operations for Humanitarian Logistics (T.O.H.L.), Zuldi;
United Kingdom: OpenPen, Spanglish Lories, WPITS (SA) Ltd.

StartUp Chile Meetings and Seminars

Typical StartUp Chile Orientation: The Chilean government organizes multiple rounds of orientation for StartUp Chile partcipants

still said:

is chile cold during yr end?

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It is summer at year end.