What immigration procces you go though in order to live in mexico?

Question

What immigration procces you go though in order to live in mexico?

Answer 1

You may visit in Mexico for up to 180 days with just a tourist card obtained on the plane or at the border.  If you want to reside in Mexico, you need to apply for an FM3 visa at the consulate in the U.S. or the immigration office nearest you in Mexico.  It requires proof of about $1200 a year in income from the U.S. or a years worth in the bank...and it must be renewed yearly with proof of income.  After 5 years you may apply for an FM 2 (immigrant visa)  kinda like a green card.  Then in a few years you may apply for citizenship if desired.  To work in Mexico requires an FM· visa with a work permit...very difficult to get.  See site below to read about the visas.  If you need to work, it will be very difficult to live in Mexico..permiots are almosr impossible to get and pay is unbelievably low.  If you are retired and/or have a steady income, it is very easy.

Answer 2

Charlie's answer is great and almost spot on... but I have to disagree with "it's almost impossible to get an FM3 visa to work". It's not easy but certainly not impossible.

I have an FM3 and live in Quintana Roo as do many of my friends, most of whom have visas to work, not as rentistas (rentista means you have enough income not to have to work, as Charlie describes). Some of them had a nightmare getting their papers and others had very few problems. Those whose companies applied for them via immigration in Mexico City seemed to have a much easier time of it! As I understand it, it's much more difficult in Quintana Roo than in other states because of the high number of immigrants here. Also it seems to depend on your nationality a lot.

You need a good lawyer (get personal recommendations ~ most of us here have nightmare lawyer stories!!)... having said that, I had a predecessor for a teaching job who got her papers directly from immigration in Q.Roo without a lawyer with no problem at all and a qualification that wasn't worth the paper it was written on... and when I applied for a visa for exactly the same post with a well recognised qualification and exactly the same info from the company, immigration asked me for additional papers that would clearly be impossible for me to get! It's like, basically, there are no hard and fast rules! It's largely a matter of luck and patience... and if at first you don't succeed...! It took me three long drawn out attempts over two and a half years, a great deal of stress and lots of money Fed~Exing documents back and forth to my home country before I eventually found a decent lawyer that I could trust who helped me get my papers relatively easily!

If you're applying from Mexico, make sure you get all your documents (birth certificate, diploma / qualification certificates etc.) apostilled (legalised) in your country's foreign office. It will save you a lot of hassle in the longrun!

If you really want it, eventually you'll get it. That was the advice I was given by other ex~pats years ago and (finally!) I can bear witness to it!

Good luck! :)