Why do pregnant Russians want to go to Argentina?

Thousands of middle and upper-class pregnant Russian women and their families are desperate to get to Argentina to give birth. Not only do they want to escape Putin's war, but there are some pretty sweet benefits in Argentina for birthing a child in the country.

Argentinian migration officials say that the number of expectant Russian mothers arriving in the country has skyrocketed over the course of the past year.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Argentine government migration figures show that more than 22,000 Russians have arrived in Buenos Aires since January 2022.

Fears of yet another mobilization in Russia has undoubtedly caused an increase in Russians arriving in Argentina, one of the few Western countries Russians do not need a visa to enter.

A young Russian man, Alexander Nechaev, aged 28 told the Wall Street Journal: “We came mostly to get away from the war, because I was at the risk of getting drafted and we don’t support this terrible aggression.”

According to the WSJ, by mid-February, migration data in Argentina indicates that of the 22,000 Russians to arrive in the country since January 2022, almost 11,000 are women, and roughly 11,400 are men.

A craving for Argentian barbeque and some balmy weather isn't the driving factor behind these pregnant women choosing to travel to Argentina.

Pregnant Russian mothers are choosing to give birth in Argentina to take advantage of the rather the generous citizenship rules applied to babies born to foreign mothers in the country.

Russian mothers who give birth in Argentina are doing so to get an Argentinian passport for their child.

The law states that any child born in the country, regardless of their parents' nationality, will be immediately granted Argentinian citizenship.

To make the deal even sweeter, the child's parents are also given temporary residency and work permits.

Temporary residency is the key that opens the door for Russian parents to get an Argentinian passport themselves.

According to Argentinian migration authorities, once they have temporary residency, the Russians can start the process of becoming citizens, which can often be completed in just two years.

So if a Russian couple has a child in Argentina, by the time the child is two, their parents will most likely have Argentinian passports.

This opens many doors for them, as citizens of Argentina can visit Europe without a visa, something that Russians simply can not do.

In September 2022, the European Union cancelled the visa facilitation agreement between Russian and EU countries.

This means that Russians must now provide more documentation and wait longer to receive a visa to visit most European countries.

Furthermore, several EU countries, including all EU member states that border Russia suspended tourist visas for Russian nationals

The Wall Street Journal's Juan Forero spoke to Polina Schteiner, who hails from Moscow. The 31-year-old is very close to her due date, and she told the WSJ that she and her husband chose to move to Buenos Aires to escape Russia.

"My daughter will be born here, and she will be Argentine," said Polina. She then added, "It's a ticket for the whole family to be safe from the government in Russia."

However, there may be a much darker side to the influx of Russians in Argentina. The BBC reports that "'Birth tourism' by Russian citizens to Argentina appears to be a lucrative and well-established practice."

The British news outlet reported that Russian language websites offer packages for pregnant mothers who want their child to be born in Argentina.

Photo: ruargentina.com

According to the BBC, "The website advertises services such as personalized birth plans, airport pick-ups, Spanish lessons and discounts on the cost of stays in "the best hospitals in the Argentinian capital"."

For the low price of just $5,000, Russian mothers can access the website's "economy class" birth in Argentina package, and those who want the kid glove treatment can opt for the "first class" package at $15,000.

Photo: ruargentina.com

However, it seems that gangs may be behind some of these businesses. According to the Argentinian newspaper La Nacion, police are cracking down on these million-dollar businesses.

The Argentinian newspaper said that raids had been carried out. The police have found that some of these "birth tourism" operations have been giving expectant Russian mothers and their partners fake documentation to speed up the process and allow them to start their new life in Argentina quicker.

Furthermore, Argentinian police indicated that one of the gangs suspected of these actions was charging Russian parents as much as $35,000 for their services.

Argentinian police say that no arrests have been made as of yet; however, laptops and computer equipment, immigration papers, and vast amounts of cash were seized in the raids.