What will the health and university fees for foreigners required by the Government be like?

The recent announcement of government on the tariffing of health and university services for non-resident foreigners has generated a wide debate in the country. This measure, communicated by presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni, seeks to modify the immigration law to implement a collection system for foreigners who do not reside in Argentina.

The proposal of Government It arises in a context of similar measures already implemented in several provinces, such as Salta, Santa Cruz, Mendoza and Jujuy, where citizens from other countries who do not reside in Argentina have begun to charge for medical care.

In the academic field, the measure will also allow national universities to charge fees to foreign students, with the aim of generating a source of financing for educational institutions.

Regarding the application of this measure, the government has indicated that the national, provincial and municipal health authorities will be responsible for establishing the conditions of access to the health system.

What will the health and university fees for foreigners required by the Government be like?

This includes the possibility of charging for medical services to those who do not reside in the country. The experience of the province of Salta could serve as a model for the implementation of these new measures at the national level.

At the university level, universities may charge fees to foreign students, especially in courses such as Medicine, where 30% of students are foreigners in some institutions.

What will the health and university fees for foreigners required by the Government be like?

Data

However, official data reveal that international students represent only 4.3% of total enrollment in public universities and around 3.9% in undergraduate courses. The measure would affect approximately 79,800 foreign students in Argentina.

During the budget crisis in the education sector, the government had proposed this alternative as a possible solution to the financial problems of universities, although that proposal was discarded in 2023 by Congress.. The announcement of Government has generated resistance within the university sector, which questions both the viability of the fees and the definition of “non-resident foreigners.”

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