In October 2022, Paraguay replaced its 26-year-old migration law with Law 6984/22 \u2014 and the effect on the residency pipeline was immediate. Seven years of official Migraciones data show exactly how the system changed: which pathway dominates now, how fast each one processes, and where the bottlenecks are building.
2026 early signal: 2,817 applications filed in the first 20 days of 2026. This page is being published in April 2026 with the latest available data (full-year 2025). The 2026 early signal comes from DNM\u2019s 20-day public snapshot \u2014 included here as a forward indicator, not an annualizable forecast. 20-day snapshots are not reliable predictors of full-year performance.
0.56:1 → 2.72:1
Flipped
In 2019, 0.56 temp applications for every permanent application. In 2025, 2.72 temp applications for every permanent application.
+300.6%
Per year average
Pre-6984 avg: 6,510/yr (2019–2021). Post-6984 avg: 26,080/yr (2023–2025).
−34.4%
Per year average
Pre-6984 avg: 12,691/yr (2019–2021). Post-6984 avg: 8,331/yr (2023–2025).
86.0% / 82.9%
Temp / Perm
Both pathways below 100% in 2025 — first time both simultaneously under capacity since 2021.
+6,178
Applications pending
Full-series cumulative. Temp backlog turned positive in 2023 and accumulated from there.
−1,929
Grants exceeding apps
Full-series cumulative. Grants exceeded applications in most years through 2024.
Source: Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendici\u00f3n de Cuentas 2025
Last updated: April 2026 | Next update: March\u2013April 2027 (when 2026 full-year data is published)
Before October 2022, if you wanted Paraguay residency, you applied for permanent residency directly. Law 978/1996 let most foreign nationals bypass temporary residency entirely \u2014 you filed for permanent, showed a university degree or a bank deposit (USD 5,000 in practice), and received permanent residency. The data from 2019\u20132022 shows what that system looked like in practice: 12,691 permanent applications per year against 6,510 temporary applications. Permanent was the main event.
Note on SUACE investor residency: SUACE investor-residency applicants under Law 5786/16 are not subject to Law 6984\u2019s mandatory temporary-first pathway. Qualifying investors (USD 70,000+ deposit or equivalent investment + 5 formal jobs) can apply directly for permanent residency, bypassing the two-year temporary residency requirement entirely.
Law 6984/2022 replaced Law 978 in October 2022. The core structural change: temporary residency is now the mandatory first step for all non-Mercosur nationals. You cannot apply for permanent directly \u2014 you must first complete at least two years of temporary residency. The law also eliminated the USD 5,000 deposit requirement, introduced the Precario status from the date of filing (live, work, exit/re-enter, get a C\u00e9dula immediately), and created conversion window rules with specific timing and penalties.
The data shows the flip happened in a single year. In 2022 (the transition year), permanent applications still outnumbered temporary \u2014 13,008 permanent vs 9,078 temporary. In 2023 (first full year under Law 6984): 5,733 permanent vs 20,685 temporary. Temporary overtook permanent by a ratio of 3.61:1 and has not returned to pre-law levels since. By 2025, temp applications hit 34,875 \u2014 five times the pre-law average. The law did not slowly change behavior; it immediately and completely restructured the system.
If you are applying today under Law 6984, you will start with temporary residency \u2014 two years, renewable, with full work and travel rights from the day you file. After two years, you apply for permanent. The processing pressure is real: both pathways operated below 100% throughput in 2025 (temp 86.0%, perm 82.9%), meaning more applications arrived than the system could process in the same calendar year. Plan for a realistic timeline. There is one exception: the SUACE investor track (minimum USD 70,000 + 5 formal jobs), which still allows direct-to-permanent without first completing temporary residency.
One more pattern worth noting: permanent applications recovered in 2025 (12,812 vs 6,447 in 2024). Most of this is the first wave of Law 6984 temporary residents completing their two-year period and converting to permanent. This is the law functioning exactly as designed \u2014 a pipeline of conversions now feeding the permanent count. It is not a resurgence of new direct-to-permanent demand.
The charts below make the shift visible. Before 2023, permanent grants consistently outnumbered temporary. From 2023 onward, that pattern reverses completely. Temporary grants now dominate by 3:1 or more.
Exception: SUACE investor track. The SUACE investment track (minimum USD 70,000 + 5 formal local jobs, registered with IPS) still allows direct-to-permanent residency without first completing a temporary residency period. It is the only remaining direct-to-permanent pathway for non-Mercosur nationals under Law 6984.
What share of total grants went to temporary vs permanent each year
Grant Composition Shift 2019\u20132025Source: Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendici\u00f3n de Cuentas 2025
Before 2023, permanent grants consistently outnumbered temporary \u2014 ranging from 56% of grants in 2019 (14,212 of 25,197) to 73% in 2020 (11,757 of 16,122). From 2023 onward, temporary grants dominate: 72% in 2023 (19,190 of 26,591), 77% in 2024 (21,686 of 28,260), and 74% in 2025 (29,976 of 40,600). The shift is permanent and structural.
Average annual applications: pre-6984 (2019\u20132021) vs post-6984 (2023\u20132025)
Before vs After Law 6984 ApplicationsSource: Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendici\u00f3n de Cuentas 2025. Pre-6984 average: 2019\u20132021. Post-6984 average: 2023\u20132025. Note: 2022 excluded as transition year.
Before Law 6984, average permanent applications (12,691/yr) nearly doubled temporary applications (6,510/yr). After Law 6984, temporary applications averaged 26,080/yr while permanent averaged 8,331/yr \u2014 a \u221234.4% decline in permanent demand. The law didn\u2019t eliminate permanent residency, but it made temporary the universal entry point: temporary applications quadrupled (+300.6%) while permanent applications fell by a third.
2025 grants by nationality: Brazil (23,526), Argentina (4,366), Germany (1,652), Bolivia (1,357), Spain (1,023) \u2014 the top 5 nationalities account for roughly 78.6% of all grants. Mercosur nationals (Brazil + Argentina) represent the largest share. See nationality breakdown (latest available data) \u2192
The throughput data tells you about system pressure, not approval probability for your individual application. When temp throughput fell to 86.0% in 2025, it means the system received 34,875 new temp applications but granted only 29,976 temp permits in the same calendar year \u2014 leaving 4,899 applications that either waited for processing or were not granted. The permanent side shows a similar dynamic: 10,624 grants against 12,812 applications, a gap partly explained by the conversion pipeline (temp residents from the 2023 cohort applying for permanent in 2025). Note that post-6984 permanent applications include temp-to-perm conversions \u2014 DNM does not separate these as a separate series.
Temp vs perm throughput rate (grants \u00f7 same-year applications). Both dipping below 100% in 2025.
Pathway Throughput Rates 2019\u20132025Source: Migraciones Memoria Anual 2025. Throughput = grants issued \u00f7 applications filed in same year. Not a cohort-matched approval rate.
Temp throughput ran above 100% in 2019 (126.5%) and 2020 (126.6%) \u2014 meaning the system granted more temp permits than new applications filed in those years, clearing a pre-existing backlog. The system first dropped below 100% in 2021 (91.1%) under the old law \u2014 permanent also fell to 88.2% that year, making 2021 the only year under Law 978 where both pathways were below capacity (a COVID recovery artifact). In 2025, temp throughput fell to 86.0% as application volume surged +63% year-over-year, outpacing processing capacity. Permanent throughput stayed above 100% through 2024 (clearing old cases), then fell to 82.9% in 2025 when both new filings and conversions simultaneously exceeded what the system could grant. For the first time under Law 6984, both pathways operated below 100% simultaneously.
Applications minus grants per year, by pathway. Positive = more filed than granted (backlog building).
Annual Backlog by Pathway 2019\u20132025Source: Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendici\u00f3n de Cuentas 2025. Backlog = applications filed minus grants issued in same year. Negative backlog = system processing more than it received (backlog clearing).
Temporary residency backlog first turned positive in 2021 (+661) and 2022 (+1,351), then again starting in 2023 (+1,495) through 2025 (+4,899) \u2014 cumulative temp backlog of +6,178 by end of 2025. Permanent residency backlog was mixed pre-6984, stayed negative through 2024, then turned positive in 2025 (+2,188) as conversion applications flooded the system. The 2025 total backlog of 7,087 (temp +4,899 + perm +2,188) is the largest single-year backlog in the series.
Temporary applications \u00f7 permanent applications per year. Above 1.0 = more temp than perm.
Temp-to-Perm Application Ratio 2019\u20132025Source: Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendici\u00f3n de Cuentas 2025
Before Law 6984, the ratio hovered between 0.39:1 (2020, COVID distorts) and 0.70:1 (2022, transition year) \u2014 permanent applications outnumbered temp. In 2023 it jumped to 3.61:1 in a single year \u2014 a 5\u00d7 move. The ratio has not crossed back below 1.0 since. The slight pullback to 3.52:1 (2024) and 2.72:1 (2025) is explained by the conversion pipeline: as the first Law 6984 cohort completed their two-year temp periods, permanent applications (which include conversions) increased. The temp pathway remains dominant by more than 2.5\u00d7 \u2014 the system has not reverted to pre-6984 structure.
You will go through temporary first (unless you use the SUACE investor track \u2014 minimum USD 70,000 + 5 formal jobs). There is no legal direct-to-permanent option under standard Law 6984.
The temp period is effectively longer than 2 years. With 2025 throughput at 86.0% and a 4,899-case temp backlog entering 2026, processing times are extended. Based on the throughput and backlog data, we estimate 2.5\u20133 years total before permanent approval.
Both pathways are now below 100% throughput under Law 6984. Both were also below 100% in 2021 (91.1% temp, 88.2% perm) under the old law \u2014 but that was a COVID recovery year. In 2025, both pathways are below capacity under normal demand conditions. Processing pressure is systemic, not temporary. Your attorney matters more than ever: complete applications process faster than incomplete ones.
The absence rule affects your conversion to permanent. Resoluci\u00f3n DNM 081/2026 now enforces the Article 55 rule (1-year consecutive absence) at the temp-to-perm conversion point. If your Constancia de Movimiento Migratorio shows >1 year consecutive absence, you get a 2-year pr\u00f3rroga instead of permanent conversion. Any re-entry resets the counter. Track your movements carefully if you travel frequently.
Permanent recovery in 2025 is mostly conversions, not new demand. The first Law 6984 cohort (~20,685 temp applicants in 2023) is now converting to permanent \u2014 this is the law working as designed, not a resurgence of direct-to-permanent seekers.
All 7 years of applications, grants, throughput, backlog, and ratio data. Sort by any column or search by year.
| Year | Apps Temp | Apps Perm | Apps Total | Grants Temp | Grants Perm | Grants Total | Temp TP | Perm TP | Ann. Backlog | Cum. Backlog | Ratio T:P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-avg (2019\u20132021) | 6,510 | 12,691 | 19,203 | 7,363 | 12,727 | 20,090 | 114.7% | 104.6% | \u2014 | \u2014 | 0.51:1 |
| Post-avg (2023\u20132025) | 26,080 | 8,331 | 34,410 | 23,617 | 8,200 | 31,817 | 91.5% | 104.7% | \u2014 | \u2014 | 3.13:1 |
Throughput = grants \u00f7 same-year applications (not cohort-matched). Backlog = applications minus grants (positive = more filed than granted). Source: Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendici\u00f3n de Cuentas 2025.
\u2020 2022: A 600-unit discrepancy exists between pathway-sum backlog (\u2212864) and stated-total backlog (\u2212264). Published total (22,686 stated vs pathway sum 22,086) suggests a possible third application category not shown. Pathway-sum value used in charts; stated total used in this table.
The throughput rate shown on this page is a same-year ratio: grants issued \u00f7 applications filed in the same calendar year. It is NOT a cohort-matched approval rate. A grant issued in 2025 may correspond to an application filed in 2024 or earlier. This means you cannot use these numbers to calculate your personal approval probability.
2022 is a transition year. Law 6984 was promulgated on October 18, 2022. Applications filed before that date used the old Law 978/1996 pathway (direct-to-permanent). Applications filed after October 18 fell under Law 6984 (mandatory temporary first). The full effect of Law 6984 first appears in 2023 data.
From 2023 onward, DNM\u2019s published permanent applications count includes both new permanent applications and temp-to-perm conversions. DNM does not publish these as separate series. This means the post-6984 permanent application count overstates new demand for the permanent pathway.
Not everyone must go through temporary residency first. The SUACE investor track (minimum USD 70,000 + 5 formal jobs, registered with IPS) still allows direct-to-permanent residency without first completing a temporary residency period. This is the only remaining direct-to-permanent pathway for non-Mercosur nationals under Law 6984.
The temp-to-perm ratio for 2025 is 2.72:1 \u2014 down from 3.61:1 in 2023 and 3.52:1 in 2024. Do not interpret this as permanent making a comeback. The temp pathway remains dominant and structural.
All data on this page comes from a single source: the Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendici\u00f3n de Cuentas 2025, published March 2026.
| Metric | Formula | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Temp-to-perm ratio | temp apps \u00f7 perm apps | Per year |
| Throughput rate | grants \u00f7 same-year apps | NOT cohort-matched |
| Annual backlog | apps \u2212 grants | Positive = more filed than granted |
| Pre-6984 avg | Average of 2019, 2020, 2021 | Simple arithmetic mean |
| Post-6984 avg | Average of 2023, 2024, 2025 | 2022 excluded as transition year |
The pre-6984 average ratio (0.51) is the ratio of the averages: pre-avg temp \u00f7 pre-avg perm = 6,510 \u00f7 12,691 = 0.51. An alternative method \u2014 average of the per-year ratios \u2014 yields 0.49. We use the ratio-of-averages as the primary display because it weights each year\u2019s volume proportionally.
This data page shows what the numbers say. Our team helps you navigate what they mean for your specific situation \u2014 whether you are starting with temporary residency, planning the temp-to-permanent upgrade, or exploring the SUACE investor track.
Source: Migraciones Memoria Anual de Rendici\u00f3n de Cuentas 2025