Migrant Visa (M) for Workers
Colombia puts the weight of this application on the employer, and heavily. Beyond a contract, the company must show average monthly income of a hundred minimum wages over the preceding four months, and must explain in writing why the role is not being filled by a Colombian. It is the most demanding employer test of the three countries covered here.
At a glance
- Employer income test
- 100 monthly minimum wages, averaged over 4 months
- Labour-market justification
- Required in writing
The employer must state why a Colombian is not being hired for the role
- Where the burden falls
- On the employer
- Counts towards permanent residency
- Yes
Requirements
- A contract summary on the ministry's own form, signed by the company's legal representative and by you
- A motivation letter from the employer covering your suitability, the functions, your training for the role, the reasons a Colombian is not being hired for it, and how many direct jobs the company creates
- Bank certificates or statements in the employer's name for the last four months showing average monthly income of one hundred current monthly minimum wages
- Time on this visa counts towards the Resident (R) visa
Exceptions by origin
No exceptions recorded
Nothing we have read treats any nationality differently for this topic. The rule above applies to everyone.
What the law says
«Certificaciones o extractos bancarios a nombre del empleador de los últimos cuatro (4) meses en los que se demuestren ingresos promedio mensuales de cien (100) salarios mínimos mensuales legales vigentes (smmlv)»Our translation - not official
Bank certificates or statements in the employer's name for the last four (4) months demonstrating average monthly income of one hundred (100) current legal monthly minimum wages.
This excludes small employers from sponsoring at all, regardless of the role or the salary offered. Argentina asks only that the employer be registered; Uruguay asks for a letter.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Colombia's foreign ministry, which sets the visa regime by resolution. Resolución 5477 de 2022 is the instrument itself, not a summary of one: it defines every visa category, its requirements and its validity in numbered articles.
Standing: Issues the instrument
Cannot be cited for: Resolutions are amended by further resolutions rather than reissued, so the consolidated version carries notes about articles added or repealed by later instruments - article 80 of 5477, for example, was repealed by Resolución 10434 de 2023. Reading a category without checking those notes can mean reading a rule that no longer applies.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«Carta de motivación del empleador, donde conste la idoneidad, funciones a realizar, la formación con que cuenta el extranjero para esta ocupación, las razones por las cuales para dicha actividad no se contrata a un ciudadano colombiano y el número de empleos directos que genera la empresa»Our translation - not official
A motivation letter from the employer stating the suitability, the functions to be performed, the training the foreigner has for this occupation, the reasons why a Colombian citizen is not being hired for that activity, and the number of direct jobs the company creates.
About this source
Colombia's foreign ministry, which sets the visa regime by resolution. Resolución 5477 de 2022 is the instrument itself, not a summary of one: it defines every visa category, its requirements and its validity in numbered articles.
Standing: Issues the instrument
Cannot be cited for: Resolutions are amended by further resolutions rather than reissued, so the consolidated version carries notes about articles added or repealed by later instruments - article 80 of 5477, for example, was repealed by Resolución 10434 de 2023. Reading a category without checking those notes can mean reading a rule that no longer applies.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
- issuesResolución 5477 de 2022, art. 74
Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Colombia)
About this source
Colombia's foreign ministry, which sets the visa regime by resolution. Resolución 5477 de 2022 is the instrument itself, not a summary of one: it defines every visa category, its requirements and its validity in numbered articles.
Standing: Issues the instrument
Cannot be cited for: Resolutions are amended by further resolutions rather than reissued, so the consolidated version carries notes about articles added or repealed by later instruments - article 80 of 5477, for example, was repealed by Resolución 10434 de 2023. Reading a category without checking those notes can mean reading a rule that no longer applies.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source