The government is considering deporting 133 foreigners for fraud in the residency exam.

The government of Javier Milei is analyzing the possibility of deporting 133 foreigners, 109 who did not validate the grade and 24 who did not show up, who entered the country under the status of tourists to take the Single Medical Residency Exam, but who did not correctly declare the purpose of their visit, in addition to the irregularities and frauds detected in the exam, according to media outlet A24.

The situation became more complicated when the complaint against Adrián Alejandro David Castillo, an Ecuadorian immigrant involved in the illegal filming of the exam, became public. According to the official investigation, Castillo "read the exam, filmed it, went to the bathroom, transmitted it, received the answers, and then distributed them." This incident led to the judicialization of the case, which is currently under review by federal judge Juan Ercolini, who is investigating the alleged fraud against the State.

The 117 candidates suspected of fraud who participated in the initial test, held on July 1 at the Parque Roca complex, had to retake the exam on August 7 in a revalidation session with strict security controls to prevent fraud. The results were conclusive: none of the participants managed to match or surpass the grade obtained in the first exam, and in many cases, the scores suffered significant drops. As a result of these outcomes, 109 foreigners failed.

To ensure the transparency of the process, the Ministry of Health published on its official website the comparative lists between the original grades and those obtained in the second evaluation, which allowed for public scrutiny and confirmed the irregularities initially detected.

Currently, the investigation remains open to clarify the organized scheme of academic fraud among the foreign applicants and to determine the possible administrative and migratory sanctions to be applied. The expulsion measure would mean that these candidates not only lose the opportunity to access medical residencies in Argentina, but also become ineligible for future entry into the country under other immigration regimes.

Milei government's complaint

Meanwhile, in addition to the possible sanctions and deportations, Javier Milei's government filed a criminal complaint against those who committed fraud or were accomplices in the Single Medical Residency Exam scandal, held last July 1.

The measure targets candidates, mostly foreigners, who irregularly accessed the exam results through technological espionage devices and external collaboration.

The Minister of Health, Mario Lugones, publicly confirmed the judicial filing and explained that the decision seeks to protect the integrity of the Argentine health system. "From the Ministry of Health, we're not going to allow access to the system through deception," Lugones stated. "Admission to residencies is the first step to safeguarding the health of Argentines: behind every doctor there are patients who deserve the best care," he added.