Here's my situation:
I'm 32. My Mom is 66. She receives a pension of 2100USD/month. I have a college degree from a top US university (just mention this since I think they use the credibility of the university as a factor).
I want to get a residency in Ecuador the cheapest way possible and live their full-time. My mom is willing to help me to some extent. But, I don't think she would be willing to live in Ecuador long enough per year to meet the visa requirements.
Based on these stats, do you have any suggestions ( I have some ideas below) for obtaining a permanent visa?
If I get a Visa using her as help (such as financially and/or using dependent status--see below),
would I still be able to keep my visa if she failed to meet her visa requirements (the "no more than 90-days outside of Ecuador" thing)? Or would I end up losing mine too due to her actions?
From my reading, during the first 2 years of the permanent visa, you can't be out of Ecuador for more than 90 days each year. After the 2nd year, you can't be out of Ecuador for any interval of more than 18 months.
Please critique these ideas:
1) Can my mom get pension visa (9-I) and list me as a dependent even though I'm 33?
(And, If she loses her visa status due to not meeting
the time stay requirements, would I still be able to keep mine if I live their full time?)
2)Do all the visas have a minimum stay? If not, Which require the least stay time?
3) Professional Visa 9-IV: I have a college degree from a top US university in engineering. However, I've never worked in the trade that I got my degree in. I've just done my own freelance work all my life. Would I still use this to get a visa?
4)Real estate investment: Is there anyway that my mom and I can split the cost of the 25K investment? Such as she listing me as a dependent? Or would we each need to contribute our own separate 25Ks?
5)If my mom acquired a visa through one of the above methods, could I apply for one under the 9-VI "economic dependent" visa?
Using Dependents to Spend Less Money in Visa Process
Hello wlae84 and welcome to Expat.com
While waiting for members to help you out, I invite you to read articles in our section Visas for Ecuador to gather some useful infos.
Regards
Kenjee
Expat.com Team
wlae84 - I'm no expert by any means, but I have also been researching the visa options as my husband and I are looking to move to Ecuador early 2015.
From what I can tell, if you come into Ecuador as a dependent on any visa, your status rests solely on the 'provider', ie, your status would essentially depend on your mom's status. I know this is the case for marriages/divorces and I imagine it hold true for parents/children. If not, someone will correct me 
For the professional visa, you don't have to work in that field. You just have to have a degree. If it's on the list of acceptable universities from SENESCYT, great, if not, no worries, you'll just have to bring some more paperwork and it takes a little longer to register.
Based on this, I would say don't rely on getting your visa as a dependent of your mom's, especially if she's not wanting to stay. Go ahead and look into getting your professional visa - it basically gives you the ability to (legally) work in the country in any capacity, regardless of what your degree is actually in.
Something else you may want to consider as well is the cost. I believe the visa fees are generally similar ($200-$350) but the copies/notarized signatures/etc for the professional visa will take a bit more time and money. We were considering jumping straight into a professional visa, but after some thought we've decided to first get the extended tourist visa (12-IX) to make absolutely sure that this is where we want to be.
Hope this helps! And definitely check out some of the posts on the visa section...many of them are very helpful.
Cheers!
wlae84:
1) Not sure if a 33-year-old can still qualify as a dependent, though I've heard of married children (with their own children) moving to EC as dependents of their retiree parents. You need to check with EC immigration authorities. Yes, if you come as your mom's dependent, your status will depend on hers. If she loses hers, you lose yours too.
2) All residency (9) visas have the same residency requirement.
3) I heard that as long as you have an eligible degree you can apply, and there are no professional restrictions.
4) If you apply as your mom's dependent, you both share the same 25k requirement. No need for two 25k investments.
5) If you apply as your mom's dependent, whatever visa she gets (9-I or 9-II), you'll get the dependent (9-VI) visa.
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