Argentina: Say goodbye to the motherland

One of the saddest faces of the crisis in the South American country is the living image of more and more Argentinians making long lines to obtain a foreign residence Visa, at the entrance of European consulates. During the last month the number of people pushing to qualify for Visas and double-citizenships has increased significantly.

Argentina is a country of immigrants; but now, those surnames that once came to Buenos Aires and the main cities of the country to get better standards of life started to return to their places of origin. On the beginning of the last century, many arrived from Spain, Italy, Central Europe, Poland, Russia and the Middle East. Almost every single person within the country has ancestries from those regions. Now, many of them, are trying to be recognized as citizens of the countries where their parents came from.

Italian and Spanish families fed, mainly, the successive waves of immigration of the Twentieth Century. Anyway, applications are not only requested on those embassies, but also on diplomatic premises of the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Japan, France, Panama, Brazil, Chile and Mexico. “This is terrible… A total chaos during the last week” expressed to the press an assistant to the British embassy.

A special attention should be addressed to the situation with the important Polish community. Since the frustrated 1905 Revolution, many Polish came to Argentina as political exiled; then, after the First World War and finally, after the Soviet occupation of the country in 1945. In total, the Polish community counts over 250.000 well spread representatives.

Apparently, the possible future incorporation of Poland into the European Community, makes its passports very attractive and many are asking for application forms in the Consulate. Irene Nawrot, employee of the “Polish House” in Buenos Aires, told to this correspondent that the amount of enquiries have outnumbered their capacities to attend them: “Even those with Imperial Russia passports, that once belonged to their grandparents, are coming to ask”, she said.

Lack of confidence on the future of Argentina is making many people to take a hard decision: to leave the country to be better abroad. Just exactly the other way around, when its land was a fount of promises and welfare.

Hernan Etchaleco PRAVDA.Ru Argentina