Chilean Citizen Adjustment of Status. Adjustment of status approved for Chilean citizen based on her U.S. citizen child. The permanent residence permit has a validity of 5 years, renewable. After 5 years of residency (including temporary visa), you may be eligible for citizenship. The process of obtaining citizenship takes about 2 years. Once you obtain permanent residency, it is valid for life: you do not have to renew it. Nationals of Chile are currently the only Latin American citizens who are able to gain visa-free entry to the United States. The B1B2 visa is a tourist and business visa for visiting or conducting business in the United States. However, being a resident of Chile you do not necessarily need a visa but you can instead apply for the US Visa Waiver Program. This program allows Chilean business and tourism visitors to enter without a visa. An approved ESTA for citizens of Chile is a multiple entry travel authorization which allows multiple entries to the United States during its validity, for a stay of up to 90 days with each entry.