Chile

Chile is attracting an increasing number of immigrants from neighboring countries. For 2013, the number of immigrants who arrived in Chile (permanent and temporary) was more than double the number registered in 2010.

However, the foreign-born population as a percentage of the total population remains low and has increased slightly since the 1990s, from 0.8% to 2.3% in 2013.

The outflow of Chilean migrants to OECD member countries and Latin America has been considerably less in recent years than the flow of immigration into the country. Chilean migration has decreased by 12% since 2009. The United States continued to be the most important destination, receiving more than 30% of Chilean migrants, although this percentage has been decreasing. Argentina is the second preferred destination for Chileans and this figure has increased significantly in the same period.

The insertion of Chilean migrants in the labor market in Europe and the United States has remained stable from the 2010-2011 period to the 2012-2013 period, with a small increase of 0.7 percentage points for both the employment rate and the for unemployment.

In 2013, Chile received 249 refugee applicants, showing an increase of 48% in relation to the applications of 2012. Colombia and Syria are the most important countries of origin. For the same year, 1,743 refugees resided in the country.

Remittances amounted to a total of 923 million dollars in 2013, which represents an increase of 3.2% compared to the previous year, although it does not represent a relevant percentage, less than one percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product .

On June 4, 2013, the Immigration and Aliens Bill was submitted to the Chamber of Deputies. This Bill seeks to replace Decree Law No. 1094 of 1975, a regulation that drags national security policies during the times of the Cold War. The specialized legislative commission approved it and it is currently in the First Legislative Process in the Chamber of Deputies of the Chilean Congress.

On September 22, 2014, under Decree No. 1,393, the Migration Policy Council was created with the primary objective of developing the national migration policy and coordinating the actions, plans and programs of the different institutional actors in migration matters.

The functions of the Council are: to analyze the migratory phenomenon, update migratory information, generate proposals that regulate the effects of migration, coordinate state and civil society agents involved in migratory policy, and propose modifications to regulations. and current legislation.

The current administration plans to introduce changes to the bill proposed by the previous administration. Some of the changes to the bill include issues such as human rights, visa categories, migratory institutions and the link with nationals residing abroad.

Also in 2014, in the month of May, President Bachelet promulgated the constitutional reform that allows Chileans abroad to exercise the right to vote, in plebiscite consultations and presidential elections.

The Chilean State has taken numerous initiatives for the integration of migrants in the country. First, the children of migrants must be incorporated into basic and early childhood education. Additionally, the public health network must provide all foreign children and adolescents under the age of 18 with health care. Third, access to the protection network for victims of domestic violence dependent on the National Service for Women, which is available to migrant women, asylum seekers and refugees residing in Chile.

In the same sense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has carried out the implementation of the Consular Assistance Network Program for Victims of Gender Violence (VIF Migrante) for Chileans residing abroad. The program is carried out mainly in the countries with the greatest presence of Chileans abroad, starting with the Argentine Republic.

On April 28, 2011, the Pacific Alliance was created, of which Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru are part. Costa Rica and Panama joined as observers. The Pacific Alliance has formed the People’s Mobility Group to monitor mainly non-residents. The general purpose of the Pacific Alliance is to move progressively towards “the free movement of goods, services, capital and people” . Likewise, it established that at first the movement of business people and the facilitation of migratory flows would be prioritized, including migratory and police consular cooperation.