Residency Question

[SUSAN SWANSON]

My husband and I have different last names and each have our own retirement income of over $1,000. Would it be better to come in separately, rather than as a couple? Will there be problems for us living together with different names? Getting bank accounts? Can I even get residency as his “dependent” as I’m not financially dependent on him?

[SUZAN HASKINS]

My husband and I also have different last names and have never had a problem. And yes, either of you can qualify as a dependent based on one of your financial statements or the other. Remember, in Latin America, everyone has two last names — and husband’s and wive’s aren’t the same. That’s not a hurdle here. You will have to have a copy of your marriage certificate. That’s all the proof you need.

[SUSAN SWANSON]

Thanks for your response but you didn’t exactly answer the question I thought I was asking. Let me restate it. Is there any advantage for coming in with each of us qualifying on our own income as opposed to one of us being claimed as a dependent?

[SUZAN HASKINS]

I do not think there is any advantage. In my opinion, it’s best to qualify on the lower income amount. And I can’t give you a concrete reason for that except that, for privacy reasons, I’d rather only show one set of financial documents… Perhaps someone else would have a different opinion but I don’t see any advantage for get separate visas. If you purchase property you may want to use that for the investor visa and I think you’d want those tied together. If this is important to you, you probably want to consult an immigration attorney. There are two in our Experts section on this website.

[DONALD BIRCH]

Another question re: Residency. Is it worth the $750 to $1000 per person in legal fees to obtain residency or is the process simple enough to do on your own (and save the legal fees)? I’ve read contradictory views on obtaining residency status in Ecuador and wonder what your opinion is? My wife and I may require residency status in 2013 as expect to be moving to Salinas initially.

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Donald, this is totally up to you, and depends on your tolerance levels and the amount of time you have on your hands. There is a new immigration office in Cuenca that’s very efficient and easy to work with, as I understand it. They’re used to dealing with English speakers and have bilingual staff on hand to help. So if that’s where you’ll be living, I’d suggest you give it a try there and see how it goes. If you’ll be living elsewhere in the country and, therefore, working with the immigration office in Quito or Guayaquil, the process might not be so easy. My husband and I went the attorney route — we’re still working so we have time constraints. And it was easier for us to have someone telling us exactly what we needed. And he could go to the immigration office either on his own or with us to deal with the bureaucrats. I know people who get a kick out of doing this stuff themselves, and more power to them, but I’m not one of them!

[BRADLEY WILCOSH]

A related question: If a couple is not married, can the partner be claimed as a dependent if they rely on the other partners income? Or do both need to qualify separately under the income restrictions?

[SUZAN HASKINS]

I am not sure — probably best for you to contact Roberto Moreno or Santiago Andrade, attorneys who are listed in our experts section.

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