The pandemic marked a before and after in the disembarkation of migrants in Bariloche. Until 2020, a large number of Venezuelans settled in the city, even surpassing Chileans. Recently, the Migration Delegation detected a growth of Europeans, North Americans and Brazilians.
“Before, 50% of the migrants were Chilean; today that percentage fell to 10%. We no longer have as many migrants from neighboring countries, as before, who used to come to work. The change is no longer convenient for them to send remittances,” said Ignacio Santos, from the Migration Delegation in Bariloche.
“On the other hand,” he continued, “we recorded a large number of retirees, pensioners and nomadic workers in Europe It is convenient for those who come because of the exchange difference. Most have income abroad. So, they rent a property in dollars and it pays off.”
Santos considered that the situation in Migrations is a thermometer of what is happening at the economic level in the country. He gave the Cardenal Samoré pass as an example: “Before we talked about 70 Argentines and 30 Chileans; now it’s the other way around”, he indicated, in relation to the flow of Chilean tourists who visit Bariloche and carry out shopping tours in supermarkets and wholesalers.
From 2020 to today, the Migration Delegation has signed 3500 provisions of filings in Bariloche and the region. Of this total, some 641 correspond to Europeans and North Americans and some 202 to Brazilians. In turn, around 42 Russians and Ukrainians settled in Bariloche, El Bolsón and Lago Puelo in recent years as a result of the war.
From Barcelona and Maceió
Natalia Calvo, a native of Barcelona, disembarked in Bariloche a year ago. She “I learned about the city by working for a season in Andorra. They told me so much about Argentine Patagonia that I decided to come: with nothing, looking for work. I arrived in Bariloche on May 11, I threw Curriculum Vitae everywhere. I was half lost, but I was very lucky because I found a job at the reception of a hotel spa, ”he recounted.
This 33-year-old Spaniard also studies massage therapy. “I always moved everywhere. The truth is that Argentina has all the climates, all the landscapes and that connection with the land that I love. Bariloche made me fall in love with its lakes and mountains”, she said and added: “The truth is that in Spain things are not so good. Therefore, I did not care much about the economic situation in Argentina and inflation. I decided to live here and it was not bad for me. In fact, the country received me very well.”
In October last year, Brazilian Regina Melo, from Maceió, got a job interview at a hotel in Villa Mascardi. A month later, she returned to Bariloche to stay for the summer season. Later, she got a new job at a travel agency that receives the Brazilian public.
“I wanted to know the south of Argentina. I wanted to live the snow experience. Mountain landscapes, trekking, climbing and skiing call my attention a lot”, warned this 30-year-old woman.
Given the scarcity of rents, Regina was unable to find a home and today, she shares with her co-workers a house that her employers rented in Villa Los Coihues. “I worked for three years in a restaurant in the south of Brazil and many Brazilians who, due to the pandemic, had not been able to travel to Bariloche, They recommended me to know the south of Argentina”, assured.
She is convinced that she has chosen Argentina to settle despite the economic instability: “We also have an economic crisis in Brazil, although the currency is more stable. But I chose to live in this country as a life experience. I had a hard time understanding all the types of dollars”. The young woman said she was fascinated by “the four marked seasons”, but at the same time, she recognized that “it is hard not to find a place to live”.