Once you have submitted all the required documentation and attended the interview, the staff of the Refugee Sub-process will issue a recommendation on whether or not you meet the criteria for being recognized as a refugee. The Visas and Refugee Commission will analyze this recommendation and will issue a resolution approving or denying this condition.

If you are recognized as a refugee you must request your immigrant ID in the country. This document certifies the protection that you have received by the Costa Rican government and you will enjoy all the social, economic, and cultural rights on an equal footing with Costa Rican citizens. If your request is denied, you have the right to appeal this decision.

As an asylum seeker, the law establishes that you are responsible for following up on the process, appearing periodically before the General Office of Immigration and Aliens (DGME) or before the Administrative Migration Tribunal (TAM), in order to be acquainted with the status of your application for refugee status.

You should always be contactable and available to both the DGME and the TAM (as applicable). This means that you are obliged to provide and update your phone number (your landline and your cell phone number) and provide a fax number to receive notifications. You should immediately report any changes of your phone number or home address.

If you do not comply with this obligation and you cannot be contacted to be notified of the outcome of your claim for refugee status, there is a chance that your file may be archived. If this happens you might miss the deadline for submitting appeals in the event that your application is denied. If this happens, you would remain in an irregular migratory status and you could be deported to your country.

The organizations are there to support you and give you advice on the process of applying for refugee status, but remember that it is your duty to maintain contact and to be contactable.

It is important for you to know that you have the right to request a work permit if three months have passed since you began the process of applying for refugee status and you have not received a decision. The three months are counted starting from when you completed all of the required documentation.

The work permit request will be reviewed by the Department of Refugees of the Office of Migration, which can recommend that the Directorate General provide you with a provisional document that includes the right to work. With this documentation you will be able to engage in any kind of work as an employee, or work independently in compliance with the local laws.