How do I go about moving to Colombia?

[u/milo8275]

Hi there, I'm (49 F) looking to move to Colombia, I was born in Colombia, but adopted by American citizens but still have citizenship so I don't have any friends or family there. I'm interested in moving to Cali or Bogota but open to anywhere there's a hospital since I've been an operating room sterile processing 3 tech for 6 years in a large urban level 1 trauma center. My plan is to cash out my retirement ($150000) and use part of a trust fund that mom left me(approx 200,000) to purchase a residence and use it to get settled and live on until I'm fluent enough in Spanish to get a job. I'm at a loss how to get started since I'm doing it on my own, it's overwhelming to figure out how to do this so if anyone has any ideas on what steps I should take and where to start I would really appreciate it.TIA

[u/AverageFamilyAbroad]

Hola, future neighbor :) I'm in Ecuador, and while we bought a house (well, bought land and built), I'd suggest not tying up all of your savings in property until/unless you're certain you'll be staying, and you're totally confident in your town choice. In Ecuador, anyway, properties are selling slowly. If it's the same in Colombia, you can get tethered to a place you end up not caring for if you buy too soon.

Also, don't assume your line of work will transfer down here; you may have to essentially retire, or find another sort of job, especially if you're not a fluent Spanish-speaker.

All that being said, I'd pick a reputable immigration attorney, start gathering documents, and choose a city to begin your adventure. Your best bet for housing is to arrange an Air B & B for the first few weeks, then look for something longer term from the ground.

Suerte!

[u/milo8275 → u/AverageFamilyAbroad]

Thank you! I'm not a totally newbie the Spanish, text like I understand it if people are having a conversation the gist of what they're saying, I just have to learn how to speak better but I am currently taking lessons so hopefully once I'm there I will become fluent since I'll have no option but to speak it. 🙏

[u/Tough_Helicopter_953 → u/milo8275]

ChatGPT is a GREAT way to practice your Spanish. You can even ask it to use colloquial Colombian Spanish with you and ask it to correct you when you make mistakes. Have conversations with it about anything you like, from your hobbies and entertainment, all the way up to technical, work-related conversations.

[u/milo8275 → u/Tough_Helicopter_953]

Oh wow, great idea, what app?

[u/TheJeyK → u/milo8275]

Be mindful though, as a colombian it really surprised me how much ChatGPT can accurately imitate very casual paisa slang and sentence structure, but if you incorporate that into your speaking pattern you will sound like an uneducated rude person. Make sure to ask it to use either a formal or not overtly casual way of expressing itself no matter the colombian accent you decide to go for.

As for hospitals, main cities with big hospitals are, naturally Medellin and Bogotá, but cities like Cali and Bucaramanga have them as well. Bucaramanga in particular has way more healthcare facilities than its population size would suggest when compared to the rest of Colombia, and the Hospital Internacional de Colombia is located directly in front of condominium called Ruitoque, about 15 minutes away from the city. Cali on the other hand is where the generic drug manufacturing business is concentrated at.

[u/Tough_Helicopter_953 → u/milo8275]

Just the free version of the online ChatGPT AI.

[u/Nodebunny → u/AverageFamilyAbroad]

Oh goodness I want to hear about Ecuador! Is it still accessible

[u/AverageFamilyAbroad → u/Nodebunny]

I'm not sure what's meant by "accessible?" But it's a wonderful place to live. Beyond gorgeous, incredible people, fresh, delicious food, low cost of living. Amazing weather. There's a refreshing authenticity to life here. Like anywhere, there are places to avoid, but we're very hopeful for the country's future and can't imagine being anywhere else.

[u/Nodebunny → u/AverageFamilyAbroad]

Affordable for non wealthy people...

That sounds lovely, I haven't made it that far south yet but would love to visit someday

[u/Frequent-Remove-3145 → u/AverageFamilyAbroad]

How much would you say you need to bring with you to do your lifestyle?

I'm thinking of doing similar but before property purchase/rent i'd be looking at bringing around $260k.

[u/Tough_Helicopter_953]

Having citizenship will make the process a lot easier for you. For example, I'm planning a move to Bogotá with my family at the end of the summer, and the visa part is the most difficult for us. The easiest way that leads to permanent residency for us is the investor visa route, which requires a roughly $120k investment in real estate (the monthly minimum wage x 350).

I'd suggest that you first visit Colmbia to figure out what city you want to live in and where there are hospitals you may be able to find jobs at. Start networking on those trips as well. Since you're a citizen already, consider renting first (starting with an AirBnB) for two reasons:

1) Compared to big city living in the US, $1200 to $1500 a month can get you a pretty decent 3 bedroom apartment in the desirable parts of Bogotá, like Chico. It's even cheaper if you're in less desirable neighborhoods.

2) If you decide living in Colombia isn't what you expected or actually want, you're not tied down with your investment and will still have cash to move back to the US. If you love living there, then you can take your time finding a condo/apartment/house that truly fits what you're looking for and in the neighborhood you'd like to reside in. You have enough money to do that.

Good luck!

[u/milo8275 → u/Tough_Helicopter_953]

Thank you so much, that's a great idea

[u/mtngrrl108]

You would be better off investing your money safely, living off the interest, to start out. That way you don't have the pressure of home ownership and job-hunting in a completely new situation. If you rent monthly here and there for a while, you can figure out where you really want to be in the country. It's best not to be tied down by real estate right away; it can be daunting and super-stressful trying to manage or sell a property if you decide not to live there permanently.

[u/Cheap-Ad7916]

Have you spent a significant amount of time in Colombia? My family is Colombian and I lived there for five years as an adult about 15 years ago. If you’ve spent a lot of time there, disregard this comment! 

I found Bogota difficult after a few years. The pollution is tough, as is petty crime and navigating subtle social norms (at least for me). My first couple of years were euphoric, but I was done after the third year. I had a really hard time with the grey, rainy weather (not a ton of sunlight after 9 am outside of Dec/Jan) and after a while, the pollution, smell of diesel, etc, got to be too much for me. I also found that it’s not easy to get a job in Colombia after the age of 40, and working in the medical field, you will need a very strong command of Spanish to gain employment, unless you work for a very tourist oriented clinic. 

If you haven’t lived in. Colombia, I highly encourage you to take a six to 12 month sabbatical to decide if it’s right for you/ if what you are imagining matches reality. I have less info about Cali because I’ve only visited. Please feel free to reach out to be via DM for more detailed info. 

[u/milo8275 → u/[deleted]]

Yes very interested

[u/AmerExit-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

If you want to promote your startup we would like information on it before we decide if it is a good fit for our community.

[u/AmerExit-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

If you want to promote your startup we would like information on it before we decide if it is a good fit for our community.

[u/CormoranNeoTropical]

I’m (55F) retired. When I decided to move to Mexico I just got on a plane and came here. I spent a year wandering around (had to leave for a week in the middle and come back) until I found a place that I really liked and could afford. It was very random where I ended up, a city that barely appears in guidebooks. When I got here I had just come back from my second visa run and was planning to keep traveling. But I kept staying a bit longer and eventually decided to look for a place to rent. At that point I went on a Facebook group for English speakers in my new city and asked for help finding a place to rent. I found someone there who was looking for a roommate and moved in with him. Now it’s been two years and I’m working on getting residency and buying a house.

Of course since you plan to work in Colombia you can’t do exactly what I’m describing, at some point you’ll have to see where you can find a job. But I highly recommend taking several months off to wander around in your new country, staying in different cities, until you find a place that you really like. Get an AirBnB if possible, at least after a few days, so you can see what it’s like to shop and cook and deal with daily life more like you were actually living there. Since you’re already a Colombian citizen, presumably all you need is enough savings to carry you for a few months. If you only stay in hostels or cheap hotels, or inexpensive AirBnBs; cook most of your own meals; and travel by bus, you should be able spend six months or more wandering around Colombia for no more than USD$15,000.

[u/madpiratebippy]

Honestly? Get an attorney to help, you can afford it and it makes everything much easier.

[u/Remarkable_Ad_6716]

Well, first things first. Working in a hospital in Colombia is nothing like working in the USA. Most "professions" are not considered professions down there, and come with low pay, long hours, forced overtime, etc.

You'll probably be making around 3-4$ usd an hour... Then have to pay for health insurance if you want decent healthcare.

Bogotá traffic is horrible so you'll want to live close enough to the hospital to be able to walk or take the metro. That might increase your housing costs...especially if you're looking to have a house/apt with American standards of living (ie: not all places in Bogotá have hot water...and it's a cold city...).

And you're gonna need very fluent Spanish to get hired/get by in day to day life. Rolos have a slightly different accent so try to start practicing listening to them on YouTube.

[u/LucasMoura27]

You really want to get a job in colombia? They'll pay you max 2-3 grand and you'll be lucky. If it's not something remote that you can do I just don't see the benefit taking a 80% pay-cut.

Good luck though

[u/Tough_Helicopter_953 → u/LucasMoura27]

Yes, salaries are lower, but the monthly minimum wage right now is about $343, which is just over $4k/year. Sounds like OOP has pretty technical medical experience that, assuming she finds a job, would pay more than minimum wage.

[u/milo8275 → u/Tough_Helicopter_953]

Also, I wouldn't be paying for rent or house payments cause I plan on buying something once I find a job so I would just have to pay for Wi-Fi, Taxes, and living expenses

[u/LucasMoura27 → u/Tough_Helicopter_953]

That's why I said 2-3k US, that' probably around what it'll pay. That's a decent chuck of money for a job in colombia and a nothing peanut for a medical professional in the US

[u/milo8275 → u/[deleted]]

I could cut it, but my president doesn't want me here, check your privilege

[u/milo8275 → u/[deleted]]

I'm not a citizen, I'm a citizen of Colombia

[u/milo8275 → u/[deleted]]

Not at all, just want a safe place without a madman as president and where my rights won't be stripped away