MexConnect.com Forums: General: Living, Working, Retiring: New immigration manual

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Manuel Dexterity

Feb 25, 2010, 3:27 PM

Post #26 of 46 (7458 views)

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Re: [Rolly] New immigration manual

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I have glanced at the document and to me it appears that some of the info being posted on this thread is not quite accurate!! (what a surprise!)

One thing I read is that you can apply for an FM2 without having an FM3.

Another thing I saw was income requirements for dependents of foreigners is left to the discretion of the Immigration official handling the case.

tonynico

Feb 25, 2010, 3:45 PM

Post #27 of 46 (7449 views)

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Re: [Rolly] New immigration manual

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So lets see
I have more then enough money to live in Mexico BUT because I am not getting my ss and pension I cannot get an fm3 or fm2 until I turn 62 and that is if they don't change the rules the day I turn 62.

For my wife she can get an fm3 for herself but not for me because her ss and pension does not clear$2,250 for both of us.
where I live I do not know what is required to obtain an fm2 (which would solve both our problems) but I am sure it is not good Where I have my house, the powers that be never made it easy they act like they are seperate from Mexico and make their own laws as they go.
So if I was Bill gates and did not have a pension or ss I could not get an fm3 because I am two young for ss and no pension.

My choices are live on a fmt until I hit 62 Or my wife can take out an annuity and between that and her pension and ss we can get the fm3 or 2 if lucky.

So I have to tie up money at low interst rates to get an extra few bucks to meet these idiotic rules.
I tell you it just makes me so angry.
All because they will not except investments as proof of income because they are not guaranteed.

Tony

esperanza

Feb 25, 2010, 3:46 PM

Post #28 of 46 (7449 views)

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Re: [tonynico] New immigration manual

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In Reply To

Would putting your husband down as a dependent help that way he does not need to show income but you need to show more income. Or is it cheaper for both of you to both get a fm2
Ron

Good grief, my eyes stopped at the phrase in red. Once I recovered from my shock, I finished the sentence...pshew!

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Manuel Dexterity

Feb 25, 2010, 3:54 PM

Post #29 of 46 (7439 views)

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Re: [tonynico] New immigration manual

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My choices are live on a fmt until I hit 62 Or my wife can take out an annuity and between that and her pension and ss we can get the fm3 or 2 if lucky.

You can choose to live elsewhere.

In Reply To

So I have to tie up money at low interst rates to get an extra few bucks to meet these idiotic rules.
I tell you it just makes me so angry.
All because they will not except investments as proof of income because they are not guaranteed.

Tony

I think maybe you should look elsewhere for your retirement home.

esperanza

Feb 25, 2010, 4:35 PM

Post #30 of 46 (7418 views)

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Re: [tonynico] New immigration manual

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Tonynico, please settle down. This is Esperanza, the forum moderator, writing to you.

You have made a couple of errors in interpreting the new regulations.

First, you've made some serious and incorrect assumptions about what has changed. The biggest change (and frankly, it is likely to be a change for the better) is that starting May 1, 2010, you will not be able to apply for an FM-3 at a Mexican consulate.

Second, there is nothing in the new regulation that says you must prove that you are RETIRED in order to apply for and receive an FM-3 in Mexico. The only requirement is proof of enough income to meet Mexico's legal requirements. There are many, many ways of meeting those requirements. So rather than get mad and then abusive to others here on the forum, please try to get creative in meeting the income requirements. Those income requirements continue to apply to anyone applying for an FM-3.

It's important to point out that the INM (Mexico's immigration bureaucracy) is similar to the bureaucracies of most other countries: unwieldy, open to numerous interpretations, and frequently seeming to be without rhyme or reason, the INM hoops are applied equally to ANY foreigner applying for a tourist card or visa to live in the country. So please, Tonynico, try not to take these new regulations personally. They aren't directed at you, they really won't affect you adversely as you plan to move to Mexico, and you'll need to go through bigger changes than these if you expect to live in Mexico with any degree of contentment. Remember, it's not about you.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

tonynico

Feb 25, 2010, 4:49 PM

Post #31 of 46 (7407 views)

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Re: [esperanza] New immigration manual

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Hello Esperanza
I never took the changes as if they were directed towards me. However just as I express my views about things I think are wrong or right in America I express my views on this board. I realize you cannot speak your mind once in Mexico as a non citizen ( no problem) But when I express my view right or wrong and someone feels pompous enough to suggest that I live somewhere else then I feel I was justified in my reply. However for the sake of harmony which I am all for, and in that very spirit of harmony I will ignore people that feel they have the right to tell others how to live and think.

I thank you for getting involved and giving me your input. I will explore other avenues to obtain an fm3 I hope you are correct but everything I have read and the numerous phone calls leads me to believe they will only expcept pensions and ss which I fall short on.
I guess time will tell

Tony

sparks

Feb 25, 2010, 5:01 PM

Post #32 of 46 (7400 views)

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Re: [tonynico] New immigration manual

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I came down before I received SS by a year. I was giving myself funds from another retirement fund and had savings but 'the income' was not enough to qualify. I simply put a few thousand in a PayPal account and sent myself XXX dollars to meet the requirements. I only had to send for the 3 months before applying - all that's required

Just another option

The other message was that having a 'short fuse' as an extranjero will probably not work well in Mexico

Sparks Mexico - Sparks Costalegre

Vichil

Feb 25, 2010, 5:14 PM

Post #33 of 46 (7389 views)

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Re: [tonynico] New immigration manual

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Do not assume you can be your wife´s dependent just because she can show the income and you cannot.

Go the the Immigration Office of the place you will be living in and ask them what you should do or get a facilitator.
The Immigration people are the ones who will decide of what you can and cannot do.

In Latin countries the men are the head of the family so it is way easier not to change that perception.
My husband and I were in the same situation as you are when we came 10 years ago so we showed 3 US bank statements (joint account with my husband´s name coming first) with monthly deposits meeting the requirements.
We got a visa for my husband and one for me as a dependent. 4 years later we changed to an FM2 and this year we will change to Inmigrado and will not have to worry about any of this any longer.
It is not complicated. Everyone has a different situation , find out what the rules for your situation are and follow them.
Adjust to whatever they want you to do and NEVER get mad. You get mad you lose.

Judy in Ags

Feb 25, 2010, 6:03 PM

Post #34 of 46 (7372 views)

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Re: [tonynico] New immigration manual

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"Would putting your husband down as a dependent help that way he does not need to show income but you need to show more income. Or is it cheaper for both of you to both get a fm2?"

We've talked about that since all this came up. I guess we hadn't considered it a possibility. When we had John's mother here, we did, I believe, finally get her classified as a dependent, but it was a little complicated. When we got our FM3 in the States, they have classified her as a dependent, but when we got down here to register the FM3, we needed proof that John was really her son, blah, blah, blah. We will check on the possibility of his being my dependent when we go back to pick up our FM3's (hopefully!)

Judy in Ags

Feb 25, 2010, 6:06 PM

Post #35 of 46 (7371 views)

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Re: [Rolly] New immigration manual

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We'd have no problem at all qualifying for the FM3 if John were a dependent. We have plenty of income to qualify if both our incomes are concerned. It's just that they want to separate them out and then John's doesn't reach the qualifying amount, but mine if way over.

Vichil

Feb 26, 2010, 7:08 AM

Post #36 of 46 (7319 views)

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Re: [Judy in Ags] New immigration manual

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Here in Jalisco they want to see three months of deposits in the bank if you do not have a pension or choose to go that way. Your husband opens an account showing the amount of money they want to see for the year or for the 3 months they want to see and you will not have any problems.
We do not show immigration what our real income is, it is no one´s business, just the minimum amount they want to see. No big deal.

(This post was edited by Vichil on Feb 26, 2010, 7:11 AM)

tashby

Feb 26, 2010, 2:47 PM

Post #37 of 46 (7260 views)

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Re: [Vichil] New immigration manual

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Quote

Your husband opens an account showing the amount of money they want to see for the year...

That's how our first renewal last year went off. We don't have pensions or regular monthly income, and I anticipated having to "create" the appearance of it by moving money from one account to another for the three months prior to renewal. Didn't need to do that since we also had an account at Multiva that (by luck) had sufficient funds. Multiva wrote a letter which satisfied the local IMN officials.

We're also in Jalisco.

Now that the earlier dust in this thread has settled, I hope it gets back on track regarding the changes that will be occuring on May 1, and how we can all best anticipate/accomodate them.

Rolly

Feb 26, 2010, 3:01 PM

Post #38 of 46 (7250 views)

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Re: New immigration manual - have any of you heard of this?

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I have far more questions than answers on this new scheme.

For example -- how will one get a menaje de casa which requires an FM3 or FM2 and can only be gotten from the consulate serving you home town? The new procedure says you can only get an FM3/2 at an INM office in México. Does this mean you must get your FM3/2, then go back North to get a menaje and arrange for the shipment? The new departure form (shown in another thread) seems to have a life of only 60 days. So do you have to do all the menaje and shipping in 60 days?

To borrow from Fiddler -- "this would cross a rabbi's eyes."

Rolly Pirate

morgaine7

Feb 26, 2010, 3:15 PM

Post #39 of 46 (7242 views)

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Re: [Rolly] New immigration manual - have any of you heard of this?

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Rolly, the departure form appears to be only for those who have to leave Mexico while their documents are "in progress".

Kate

Rolly

Feb 26, 2010, 3:19 PM

Post #40 of 46 (7238 views)

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Re: [morgaine7] New immigration manual - have any of you heard of this?

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Hummm...You're right. So much for my careful reading. But I still wonder about the menaje.

Rolly Pirate

Gringal

Feb 26, 2010, 4:11 PM

Post #41 of 46 (7217 views)

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Re: [Rolly] New immigration manual - have any of you heard of this?

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Horror of horrors: Lets hope somebody thought of that one when creating the new rules.

We had rivers of grief getting our stuff here back when, since we arrived a couple of months ahead of the stuff. That memory is in a back compartment along with the one about getting the red light EACH time when we came in our crammed pickup/campertop rig in the hottest part of August.

Maybe this is all just a test of our determination to make it work. Yuck.

Judy in Ags

Feb 26, 2010, 5:29 PM

Post #42 of 46 (7193 views)

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Re: [Vichil] New immigration manual

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Your husband opens an account showing the amount of money they want to see for the year or for the 3 months they want to see and you will not have any problems.

When the deposits are shown as coming from your own bank account, is that any problem?

morgaine7

Feb 26, 2010, 5:36 PM

Post #43 of 46 (7190 views)

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Re: [Judy in Ags] New immigration manual

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When I wire money from my bank account in the US to my bank account in Mexico, the transaction shows on my statement as "orden de pago extranjero". There's nothing to indicate who (or even which bank) it originated from.

Kate

Judy in Ags

Feb 26, 2010, 5:39 PM

Post #44 of 46 (7186 views)

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Re: [morgaine7] New immigration manual

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We don't even have a bank account here in Mexico. Well, we'll just have to keep working on a solution.

Vichil

Feb 26, 2010, 8:51 PM

Post #45 of 46 (7149 views)

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Re: [Judy in Ags] New immigration manual

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No it is not a problem.
we do not have pensions so we have no steady income. We have investments but no pension so if we want to show income we put money in our account in the US and wire the money to my husband or my saving account in Mexico.
We each got a saving account in Mexico so we do not have to have the US statement translated.
We wire the money from the US account to the Mexican accounts before we need to renew the visas.The fact that the wires come from our own account is not an issue .

It is easy to open a bank account in Mexico and it can be pretty convenient . You can bank on line and it is good to have a local connection.

wynco

Mar 9, 2010, 11:05 AM

Post #46 of 46 (6922 views)

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Re: [Rolly] New immigration manual

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Hi Rolly me again - am reading forums happily whilst in hospital in Mexico City.

Dont please tell me that we could get a discount on our FM with owning a home.

Have owned for over 30 years and was not aware of this. Both of us done over 10 years each on FM's

Very expensive it is too

All the best Wynco

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