Blog · 2025-05-16

Argentina tightens immigration rules in 2025: stricter entry and deportation

The Argentine government has announced changes to its immigration regime, aiming to restore order, security and fairness in access to the resources of the Argentine state.

From now on, no foreigner with a criminal record will be allowed to enter the country, and anyone who commits an offence on Argentine soil - regardless of the severity of the sentence - will be deported. That means even crimes carrying penalties of under five years, which previously were not grounds for refusing entry or ordering deportation, will now count.

To keep the public health system sustainable, temporary, short-term and undocumented residents will also be required to pay for medical services, and travellers will need health insurance to enter Argentina.

Among the other measures, national universities will be allowed - at their own discretion - to charge tuition fees to temporary residents. Free primary and secondary education, however, remains guaranteed for all residents, who may continue to study on the same terms as Argentine citizens under Article 20 of the Constitution.

The requirements for obtaining citizenship are also being tightened. It will now be available only to those who have lived in the country continuously for at least two years or have made a significant investment in the Argentine economy. Permanent residency will require proof of stable income and a clean criminal record.

Announcing the measures, presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said: "We want to keep welcoming those who come to build a free and prosperous country, but we must also be able to welcome those willing to cooperate within the law, and be firm in expelling those who break the rules of our state."

Lisandro Catalán, deputy head of the Ministry of the Interior, added that "over the past 20 years more than a million immigrants have entered the country illegally," noting that "under the current rules any convicted person can enter, and even if they commit a crime on our territory, they are not expelled."

"Our country will remain open to migrants, but with clear laws and an immigration system that puts the development and well-being of all Argentines first," Catalán stressed.

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