Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
[quote=”sueandchris”]I recently attended a party where several long-time expats stated that it was possible to have children over the age of 21 sponsored for residency under their parent’s pensionado status.
Is this true??[/quote]
To the best of my knowledge, that’s not necessarily correct. Pensionado status is, at least initially, a form of temporary residency. After three years as a pensionado resident, you become eligible to apply for permanent residency. Once granted, you could then sponsor adult children. Only a citizen or permanent resident can sponsor first degree family members for residency.
PS (Added by author): I may be entirely wrong about this. It appears that the immigration law states that only citizens may sponsor residency. I’m a permanent resident through marriage to a Costa Rican but am not a citizen. My mother lives with us and is in process of obtaining her residency. I thought she qualified through my residency but perhaps she’s getting special treatment because she’s disabled (or perhaps she qualified through my wife but I don’t think so). Anyway, for special circumstances, a good immigration attorney is your best bet and is how we are proceeding.
[quote=”sueandchris”]I would like to reply to this question with some VERY recent experience. My husband had two stents in the United States within the last two years. When we departed the States, he had recently received a stress test and (both) of his cardiologists had stated that he was clear and should just go and “enjoy his life”. They were both aware that we were moving to Costa Rica and felt that we should go without further concerns. For the record, my husband is a mountain biking athlete in superb condition, with an excellent diet, never a smoker and not a drinker.
About two months ago, he was rushed to CIMA by private ambulance and it was discovered after an angioplasty that he had another blockage of 80% and he received a new stent during that angioplasty. We were lucky to have his attending cardiologist be the excellent Dr. Yamilah Bourzid at CIMA hospital. The surgery was done with Dr. Diaz.
Here is some important information: his care at CIMA was superb, but the cost for two days in intensive care plus two more in a regular room plus the stent surgery was over $26,000.00. Be prepared to pay for these fees in cash or be prepared NOT TO LEAVE! The security guard at the elevator on my husband’s ward needed to see our paid receipt before we were allowed to board the elevator. If you are not yet covered by the CAJA, you will need to be prepared to pay for all of your expenses in cash. While these fees were highly cheaper than the same services in the United States, it was still a very significant financial burden.
While our pensionado residency is in process, it may be some months before we are able to avail ourselves of the CAJA, where 100% of these fees would have been covered with no waiting period. We will retain Dr. Bourzid as our cardiologist and luckily, Dr. Diaz also works thru the CAJA at Hospital Mexico. Dr. Bourzid’s fees would be private pay as she does not work with the CAJA.
Many of our friends have Dr. Bourzid as their cardiologist and all rave about her expertise, as do we.
I hope this will be of help to the Forum readers.[/quote]
I’m pleased to hear that your husband received such excellent care at CIMA. My 86 year old mother also uses Dr. Geiner Diaz as her cardiologist. Normally, she sees him privately and pays for her office visits but she receives all her lab work, tests and medicines through the CAJA at Hospital Mexico at no cost.
Earlier in this thread, Scott told me to feel free to recommend a cardiologist. The only reason I didn’t recommend Dr. Diaz is that he doesn’t speak much English. If you use him, and I recommend him without any reservations, you should be fluent in Spanish or bring an interpreter with you to avoid miscommunication.
Incidentally, there are grey areas as to eligibility for CAJA caverage. In my mother’s case, she was enrolled in the CAJA under my coverage as a memeber of my household as soon as she arrived in country, and before she even applied for residency. I wasn’t asked for proof of residency or that she had applied for residency, only for a copy of her US passport for ID purposes. I guess it all depends on who processes the application.
Also, to the best of my knowledge, you are NOT required to have residency to buy health insurance through INS. Following is a link to an English language extract for the INS policy from Garrett & Associates, an INS agency that provides service to many ex-pats here: http://www.segurosgarrett.com/english/individual/medical.asp
Perhaps someone else can clarify this, since I don’t have direct experience with the INS medical insurance coverage.
[quote=”costaricabill”]if I have a part time housekeeper that works 4-6 hours per week, do I have to pay aguinaldo?[/quote]
Yes, all employees are entitled to an aguinaldo. It doesn’t matter whether they are part-time, full-time, temporary or permanent. In most cases, it will be equal to one month’s average pay.
Although it’s often thought of as a “Christmas bonus”, it really isn’t. The easiest way to think of it is that it’s a mandatory Christmas savings plan. The money belongs to the employee and must be paid to them. There are no exceptions, even if dismissed for cause.
There are numerous students from the US and other countries who come to Costa Rica to study, both short term and long term, and the opportunities are almost limitless. The best way to begin gathering information is to do an internet search on Google, etc. Don’t limit your search to “Exchange student” programs. They are only one of many types of programs and are usually more more difficult to find.
This website has most of the basic information you need to start researching programs and opportunities: http://www.studyabroad.com/pages/sitecontent/costa_rica_html.aspx
Also, there are many non-profit organizations and churches who offer opportunities to do volunteer work here. Again, you can begin your research on the internet.
Be advised, most of the programs aren’t cheap. Even if you come as a volunteer, you are expected to pay an enrollment fee.
Obviously I don’t know which cardiologist Scott will recommend but a couple of years ago a friend of mine had a heart attack while visiting here and was hospitalized on an emergency basis at Clinica Biblica. Both he and I were very impressed with the quality of care he received, not just from the cardiolgist but from the nursing staff as well.
Personally, I’d stay away from the factories in Sarchi. There are plenty of good furniture makers throughout the country who are not so tourist-oriented and who do good custom work at reasonable prices. The process is easy: ask around your area for recommendations, look at samples of their work to judge quality, show them what you want, select a wood, get a price quote (or several, if you so desire), and sign a written contract. It can be simple and hand-written but will avoid surprises and misunderstandings. Most will want 50% prior to building the furniture and the balance on completion.
It sounds like both of you have done a fair amount of homework and are approaching your possible relocation process carefully. That’s good.
I’ve been a fulltime resident of CR for over ten years and have always lived on the east side of San Jose: San Pedro, Curridabat, Tres Rios, etc. I now live in San Ramon de Tres Rios (not to be confused with San Ramon de Alejuela). I’m in a semi-rural area at about 4,800′ elevation so the climate is always cool and pleasant and we are never bothered by mosquitos, houseflies or other insect pests, which I like. It’s only a 15-20 minute drive to downtown San Jose and even closer to all major shopping, medical care, etc. I definitely recommend that you check the area out. Depending on your budget and climate preferences, you might consider Tres Rios, Coronado, Guadalupe, Moravia, Curridabat, Sabanilla, or any of several other possible locations.
Panama also offers some good alternatives but I’m no expert and won’t offer advice other than that I like the Boquete area, near David.
As for Nicaragua, that’s another story altogether. For me, it’s still too unstable (both economically and politically) and, more importantly, too unsafe. Personal safety and security are major issues in many areas of Central America and even though many ex-pats do choose to relocate to lesser-developed countries because the cost of living is lower, I don’t think the trade-off makes sense.
As for high-speed internet, my cable internet through Amnet isn’t up to USA standards but isn’t too bad either. I just ran a speed test to verify my exact download and upload speeds. I’m downloading at 3mb/s and uploading at .25m/s. That’s plenty fast enough for any normal application unless you’re a gamer or watch a lot of streaming video.
Good luck and best wishes to you both. The ex-pat lifestyle isn’t for everyone but was a great decision for me and I’d never consider living in the US again.
Yes, Lipitor is sold in Costa Rica but I don’t know the price. It will vary from pharmacy to pharmacy, so shop around. In my area, east of San Jose, the cheapest pharmacy is Farmacia La Bomba. They have three locations in San Pedro and Curridabat but I don’t think they are in other areas of the country.
The specialist you’re looking for is called a “neumologo”. The speciaty is “neumologia”. There are plenty of well-qualified specialists here. Not all are listed in the hospital web directories. For example, I know that the chief of the neumology department at Calderon Guardia, one of the Caja hospitals, also sees private patients at Clinica Biblica although he’s not listed in their web directory. His name is Dr. Guevara (sp?). There are at least two or three others at Clinica Biblica and I’m sure CIMA has several as well.
You’ll have no problem finding a qualified specialist at Clinica Biblica or at CIMA. I personally avoid Clinica Catholica whenever possible due to bad experiences with them in the past.
Buying any sort of property or business before you have at least a year of experience living here (preferably more) is probably not a good idea. You don’t need residency to own a business or to receive income from its earnings or for your management services, but without residency cannot receive earnings for actual “labor” that could otherwise be perfomed by a resident. This is rather vague, but is the law. Obviously, the less you pay in outside salaries, the more earnings you keep for yourself but you could get into trouble trying to skirt the law. I recommend that you at least begin the residency process before working even in your own business other than in a general management capacity.
The best place I’ve found in the San jose area has been Yamuni. I’ve bought fabric from them on several occasions and have been satisfied with both their selection and prices. I usually shop at their San Pedro location but have bought from their San Jose store as well (on Avenida 10 or 12, just after you make the turn into town from La Sabana, near the McDonald’s).
[quote=”Doug Ward”]Any ” carpenter” that works for less than 15 to 1800 is nothing more than a grass cutter with a saw and tape measure.
Like anywhere else…you get EXACTLY what you pay for.
My guy gets 2500/hr.[/quote]I agree that a skilled carpenter or other professional such as electrician or plumber should earn in excess of 2,ooo per hour but don’t agree that you necessarily “get exactly what you pay for”. My experience has been that some of the highest paid workers I’ve used have been some of the worst.
Again, I recommend that you pay the prevailing wage, no more and no less. If you don’t know what the prevailing wage is in your area for the type of work you need done, find out by getting multiple bids whether you’re paying by the hour or by the job.
[quote=”Canadianman”]I have heard that some Tico people work for as little as two dollars per hour, but I would never pay less than five dollars per hour. Or, offer $3. and additional pay for a job well done, bringing the rate up to an average of $5. an hour.
Workers take longer coffee breaks in Costa Rica, so you must take that into consideration when deciding on a rate of pay.
It might be better to offer a sum for the job, but pay the money as the project progresses. Never pay in advance.
I’m not an expert on hirring Tico workers, but that’s the amounts and methods I will use when I move there next year.[/quote]I don’t know your area of the country, what kind of workers you plan to hire, their skill levels, etc., but you won’t do yourself any favors by paying more than the prevailing wage. In fact, just the opposite is probably true. Word gets around very quickly and if you overpay your workers you’ll be issuing an open invitation to the entire community to overcharge you for everything.
It’s okay to pay by the hour for small jobs and day labor. For everything else, you’re usually much better off working with fixed price contracts for the entire job and paying in stages based on percentage of completion. I’d get at least two or three estimates for anything but very small jobs. Always hold back a minimum of 15 to 20 percent until final completion and acceptance. If you don’t, the last details will never be completed to your satisfaction. For small contract work, it’s common to pay 50% prior to commencement and the balance on completion. This obviously doen’t apply to large contracts such as building a house.
Also, if you’re paying weekly or hourly salaries (instead of fixed price contracts for specific jobs), you are an employer and subject to ALL of the employment laws. This is very costly! Be careful of what you’re getting into or you’ll regret it.
Cost Rica employment law can be very complicated. Here’s a link to a brief summary:
http://www.therealcostarica.com/costa_rica_business/costa_rica_labor_law.htmlThe best and easiest way to determine your exact legal obligation is to have the Ministerio de Trabajo calculate it for you. They routinely do this upon request of either the employee or employer at no charge. Be prepared to pay a lot more than you probably think is fair. Terminating an employee is expensive here.
