According to the report of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) published in May; Chile, Panama, Ecuador and Bolivia are the countries that receive the most highly qualified foreign workers

The research shows that foreign professionals who decide to emigrate have a minimum of ten years of study, especially in countries such as Chile (79.4%), Panama (65.4%), Ecuador (63.1%) and Bolivia (62.0%).

In the case of Chile, the highest number of immigrants comes from Peru (31.7%), Argentina (16.3%), Bolivia (8.8%), Colombia (6.1%) and Ecuador %). According to the report of the Ibero-American Observatory on Human Mobility, Migration and Development in Chile, 58% of the visas granted in 2015 were work visas.

The most accomplished occupations in the region by highly qualified workers are: managers, professionals and technicians in sectors such as commerce, restaurants and hotels; Being the financial, social and personal services a second branch of activity with high presence of immigrant employers.

The ECLAC report highlights that this may be due to the fact that many of these highly qualified workers were hired by foreign capital companies (ie not all of them migrated on their own initiative) or are investors (for example, in the area of Hotels or restaurants), which mainly serve an external demand.

This information is not in any way legal advice, serving only as an informative purpose. If you need professional services in the area of Global immigration and Mobility, please contact our firm.

*It should be noted that the rules of any of the countries listed and the procedures suggested might change at any time without notice.