MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Over 700.000 foreigners apply for Argentine residence

In spite of the recurrent economic cycles Argentina remains a magnet for people from neighboring countries. Over 700.000 foreigners applied for Argentina residence between 2003 and September this year, according to official figures from Argentina's Migration Office.

The majority are from Paraguay, 265.000; Bolivia, 136.000; Peru, 62.000 and in fourth place Uruguay with 13.000. Below 10.000 figure the citizens from Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela. An interesting fact is that behind Uruguay comes China with almost 10.000 residence applications. Over half a million of requests were in the framework of the "Patria Grande" program ("Large fatherland") sponsored by Argentine authorities which guarantees residence to citizens from Mercosur country members and associates with the only presentation of identification and no crime record. Over a million Paraguayans and Bolivians plus an estimated 300.000 Uruguayans live in Argentina. Argentina also has the second largest Jewish community in the Americas behind United States. Argentina's population is 36 million.