Murphy82

Hello everyone,

This is my first posting here [waves hello]

Considering a possible move to Chile. Not certain on location but definitely NOT Santiago as I have been there, and it's much too hectic for my taste after living in London for years, I sort of want a quieter life but not too quiet that I'd be bored to death, haha.

Was wondering if there are any expats in Chile, who could be kind enough to answer a few questions for me? I have been doing a lot of research on Chile, but there are a few things I haven't been able to figure out yet.

Firstly, is there a large expat community in Chile, and if so, where are they? I would imagine Santiago, but I was hoping to move North, near La Serena, or Iquique or even Arica. Just wanting to know where the largest expat community was located at?

Also, can you get satellite to watch British shows/tv? or are you doomed to the rubbish Chilean TV? lol. Can you buy British newspapers anywhere? (Yes, I know now we have the internet etc but I'm old-fashioned ;-)

Many thanks in advance to anyone who reads and answers.

dfjordan

I'm just outside Santiago, so have all the benefits close by of a big city without actually being in the smog, and have been here for more than 16 years now.
There are expats in La Serena, Antofagasta and Iquique. They principally work in the mining industry and use these places for their time off.
You didnt say what your plans are workwise or what visa you plan to come in on. Anyway, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

Murphy82

Thanks so much for your answer. I have no idea what I'd do for a living to be honest, just trying to go somewhere where my retired father can have a better standard of living, he has US citizenship and I've found out it's very unlikely he would be given a visa to UK, hence why he was thinking of Chile, and I'd go along to help.

Problem is my Spanish is rubbish, so who knows how I'd manage.

Good to know there are expats in La Serena and Iquique.

Can I ask, how are the internet connections over there?

Are banks pretty straight forward to deal with? (telephone banking and does online banking exist?) I heard you have to go in person to check things like your bank balance etc, but that was from someone who visited Chile in 1998.

dfjordan

Sounds like yours is a complicated case. If your father can show he has money to support himself, he could get a residence visa, but that's the easy part. If you dont speak Spanish, you should forget the idea of finding work here. You also need to think about medical costs for him here as he wouldnt find it easy to get any insurance. Assuming you live in a decent size city, the internet connections are very good and reliable. As far as banking is concerned, internet banking has been available for ages. It is however, difficult to get a bank to accept you, as a client until you have permanent residence. They are very cautious about any foreigner wanting to open an account.
Apart from all that, it can be a lovely place to live, with a variety of climates to choose from

Murphy82

Yeah, it's all quite complicated and frustrating, but thanks for your input, really appreciate hearing from someone who's over there. Had a feeling that without proper Spanish, I'd not get anywhere. I'm dyslexic, so learning a new language is very hard so maybe I'll look at English speaking countries instead. Thanks again

moseswellington

Hello Murphy
I lived in Santiago for 10 years and left 5 years ago. I lived in Las Condes, La Rheina and Providencia and worked as a teacher there in 2 bilingual schools. If you cant speak Spanish and don't have a connection with work, friends or family there; forget it. You will need a support network and particularly someone you can trust who is bilingual to call when for help; and you will need help.

There are lots of young people passing through Santiago looking for fun, adventure and party. Its not that cheap either. Sadly, Gringo's are an easy target for exploitation and you will have to pay "Gringo Tax" everywhere you go.

Santiago is hot and dry for most of the year and very hot Dec-Feb sometimes reaching 40+C and we would go south for the summer. Further north its hotter and more arid.
Vina del Mar on the coast would be is a better option; more temperate. Why don't you go on an extended holiday and rent an apartment for 3 month's in Vina and do it in the winter months June - Aug when its out of season.

There are jobs teaching English, but not well paid. If you want an extra info just ask.

Gringuito

dfjordan

You could perhaps think about Cyprus or even Costa Rica which has loads of expats, mainly Americans and Spanish isnt really important.

Murphy82

Thanks for your input moseswellington. Only reason I'd considered Chile was because Dad lived there many years ago and was thinking maybe the cost of living would be lower for him than the states.

Murphy82

I'd prefer to go where there is a large Brit community so I don't feel so homesick lol. My preferred choice would be to go back to UK with him, but I cannot due to the unfair immigration law changes from 2012 since he's not a UK citizen

VeganAdventurer

Murphy82, If you are a British Citizen and he is your dad, then he can apply to come here under the family reunion category of immigration if you meet the criteria. They did make some changes, for example they increased the amount someone needs to earn if they are marrying a foreigner to £18,500pa. From what I remember of the changes, it depends why you were separated from your family.

This may be of interest to you from 2014:
Brits Can Bring Foreign Family To UK - Ruling
UK faces fresh wave of migrants after visa ruling by Euro judges | Daily Mail Online

https://www.gov.uk/remain-in-uk-family/overview

Murphy82

Thanks VeganAdventurer, yes, I am a British Citizen Dad is US citizen by citizenship (orig from Chile, hence why this Chilean thread exists LOL)

Anyway, thanks for all this, need to look more into it, and maybe, maybe we can move back to the UK, it would be wonderful and would ease my pain of being abroad because I am not happy in the states and was considering Ireland as their immigration rules appear less strict than the UK.