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Chile is a great pick to live in for its food, culture, and geography. Chile is known for many food staples, such as empanadas, which are baked pastries filled with savory ingredients; pastel de choclo, a layered pie with a sweet corn topping and a savory meat filling; and the completo, a fully loaded hot dog topped with traditional Chilean ingredients, among many other dishes. These foods are all inter-mixed with Chilean culture, which is actively evolving due to the influence of many Chilean artists, such as Roberto Matta, who was famous for his surrealist paintings, or Isabel Allende, whose progressive novels greatly influenced the people of Chile. Chilean culture has an emphasis on family values, and prizes the traditional family structure, however it is encouraged for women to work and seek higher education, reflecting some of the county's progressive ideals. Chile's open-mindedness might be in part due the the incredible variety in the country's geography. Because it is a very long, vertical piece of land, there are all sorts of climates as you travel across the country, each with their own unique lifestyle. This contributes to the variety of foods available, as just about anything can grow somewhere in Chile. Chile is home to many stunning sites, such as the Torres del Paine National Park, Easter Island, Cavernas de Mármol, and the Valle de la Luna. Chile is also a great spot to see penguins, as the inhabit Magdalena Island, one of Chile's territories. These reasons make Chile a desirable spot to immigrate to, but the main question remains: how?

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Example of how a person would look filling out their visa application

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Anyone intending to stay in Chile for any purpose exceeding 90 days must obtain a visa before arriving in Chile. These are the Visa types:

Temporary Resident Visa: A visa for the purposes of visiting family, employment, study, or investment. It is valid for one year and renewable once for another year.

Work Contract Visa: A visa for those with a Chilean employer. It is only valid for the contract's duration. These require a sponsor in Chile or for the visa holder to be married to a Chilean citizen.

Student Visa: A visa for those attending regular courses at a recognized Chilean educational institution.

Investor Visa: A visa for entrepreneurs who want to start a business in Chile.

Retiree Visa: A visa for those who can demonstrate a steady income and wish to spend their retirement years in Chile.

There are also general requirements for the entire process. You will need:

A passport: Must have a minimum of 6 months of validity beyond your intended stay.

Passport-sized photos: 35mm x 45mm and must be no less than 6 months old.

Visa application form: Different for each visa.

Proof of outbound travel: A boarding pass if you took a plane, boat, train, or whatever is applicable.

Health Insurance: Proof you have coverage for your stay.

Accommodation details: Information on where you will be staying for duration of the visa.

Proof of employment: Depends on the visa.

Criminal record check: Depends on the visa.

Educational certificates: Depends on the visa.

Financial Records: Proof that you can support yourself financially for the duration of your stay.

Marriage and birth certificates: If you are relocating with your family. Depends on the visa.

Certain documents may need to be legalized. You should contact your local Chilean consulate or embassy to authenticate paperwork if your country isn't under the Hague Apostille Convention (The U.S. is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention).

Documents like marriage and birth certificates will need to be translated to Spanish. This should be done professionally.

For example, to immigrate Chile on a work visa, you must:

1. Secure a job offer and work contract in Chile

2. Apply online through the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (https://tramites.minrel.gov.cl/)

3. Wait for the application to be processed and approved

4. Visit a Chilean consulate to submit your original passport and receive the visa

5. Enter Chile within 90 days of reviewing your Visa

6. Obtain your Chilean ID

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The logo for the Servico National de Migraciones

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There are four ways to get Chilean citizenship:

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Be at least 18 years of age

Hold a valid Residencia Difinitiva permit

Have 5 or more years of residence from the date you obtained the Estampo Eletrónico

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Be the child of a foreigner

Be at least 14 years of age

Hold a valid Residencia Difinitiva permit

Have notarized authorization from your parents or the person in charge of your custody

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Be under 18 years of age

At least one of your parents has refugee status (recognized by Chile)

At least one of your parents has obtained Chilean citizenship

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Hold a valid Residencia Difinitiva permit

Have 2 or more years of residence from the date you obtained the Estampo

Be one of the following:

The spouse of a Chilean citizen for at least 2 years, your marriage has been recognized in Chile, and you have lived with your Chilean spouse in the same house for at least 2 years

A relative to a Chilean citizen up to the second degree of consanguinity

Have been adopted by Chilean citizens

Have parents that lost their Chilean citizenship before your birthday

When these conditions have been met, you can apply online at the Digital Procedure Portal of the Servico Nacional de Migraciones (https://tramites.extranjeria.gob.cl/tramites/ver_ficha/103). There you must submit various documents to prove you have met the above conditions. For more detail, the requirements are outlined here: https://serviciomigraciones.cl/en/citizenship/.

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A visualization of the cost of living in Chile vs the cost of living in the United States

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After becoming a Chilean citizen, you have full legal rights to work and conduct business in Chile with no restrictions. This means unrestricted work authorization and the ability to establish and operate your own business. Popular jobs for Chileans that are in high demand:

Engineering

Mining

Electrical

Civil

Technology

Software development

Data science (AI)

Financial technology

Health sciences

Nursery

Obstetrics

Digital marketing

Being bilingual in Spanish and English (In demand for a variety of jobs)

Electrical engineering interests me the most because of its variety of applications and my previous experience with building robots and devices.

Chile's job market is still impacted negatively by the pandemic, with jobs potentially being unstable, but it is actively recovering with the recent surge in tech.

The cost of living in Chile is generally lower than that of the U.S., with most couples living comfortably for under $2,000 a month. Most notably housing, food, and medical expenses being much cheaper than the U.S.

Other than the price, the most difficult challenge to face would be the cultural shift from the U.S. to Chile. Some examples of cultural differences to the U.S. are:

There is less of an emphasis on personal space and people often touch another's arm or back in conversation

Conflict is often avoided

Chile has a ver collectivist culture

Though it could be jarring at first, the most important thing is to simply do research and ask questions, and by the time you are eligible for citizenship, you will be perfectly capable of living in Chile.

Personally, I would enjoy the kindhearted and friendly nature of Chileans, adapting nicely to the new culture. I would also love various climates of Chile and spend a lot of time traveling about the country to experience the different environments and food. They also have miles of coastline for beaches and accommodations for vacations.