Forums > General > General Forum

christy

Mar 22, 2003, 9:01 PM

Post #1 of 5 (635 views)

Shortcut

Student Visa VS Tourist Visa HELP!!!

Can't Post |

Hi, I don't know if anyone is going to know about this since I bet not many of you are students but, here goes...I would like to know whether I should get a student visa or just a tourist visa when I come to Guadalajara over the summer with my husband and 2 small children. I will be attending the Universidad de Guadalajara. I want to stay a year at least and see how things go after that. (We would like to buy a house there if this matters at all) I will be just a few credits shy of my Bachelors (in Hispanic Studies) so I will need to take a couple more classes at my home institution (in the US) to get my degree. I searched the forum in hopes to find the pros and cons of student visas and tourist visas but I did not find very much information. We will be driving down and I know that we can get our tourist visas at the border for 180 days after that I am under the assumption we would need to cross back over and get a new tourist visa for another 180 days? According to "The People's Guide to Mexico" you're not really suppose to do this but it should not be a problem??? Student visas seem like a hassle and I don't know what kind of visa my husband and children could get if I get a student visa???

OK, now that I have rambled on about my visa confusion someone please help. If I have said anything that is incorrect please let me know. THANKS FOR ANY HELP!!!! - Christy

(This post was edited by jcaa55 on Mar 22, 2003, 9:17 PM)

Esteban

Mar 23, 2003, 5:13 AM

Post #2 of 5 (618 views)

Shortcut

Re: [jcaa55] Student Visa VS Tourist Visa HELP!!!

Can't Post | Private Reply

What your'e family needs is neither tourist visas nor student visas. You all need FM-3 visas. Search the site here for qualifications concerning this visa. It allows you to stay in the country for one year and you don't have to leave to renew it. It also allows you to keep your car in Mexico without renewing the temporary importation permit. Personally, I think it's easier to obtain an FM-3 AFTER you are in Mexico. However, others will relate different experiences. Make sure you have passports and original birth certificates for everyone in the family.
Buena Suerte

Rolly

Mar 23, 2003, 5:50 AM

Post #3 of 5 (613 views)

Shortcut

Re: [jcaa55] Student Visa VS Tourist Visa HELP!!!

Can't Post | Private Reply

While you can do what you have in mind with a tourist visa (FMT), I agree with Esteban that an FM3 is the way to go. One correction to Esteban's post: An FM3 is good, more or less, forever with annual renewals. In addition to passports and birth certificates, you will need bank statements for the most recent three months showing that you have the required income. That amount is US$1,000 per month plus $500 for each dependent. For you and your husband, the required amount would be $1,500. I have read that no additional income is required for children under 18. I have also read that the required income is increased by $500 for each child regardless of age. You should ask your local Mexican Consulate.

For a lot more details about moving to Mexico, check out my website: http://rollybrook.com/how_to_move_to_mexico.htm

One consideration on the FM3 issue: If you want to bring your household furnishings and your desktop computer, you will need to get a menaje de casa which will allow you to bring these things duty-free. You have one, and only one, lifetime opportunity to get a menaje, and that must be done with 6 months after you get your FM3. So, if you think you may want to bring your household at some later time, you should wait until then to get your FM3 – or at lease you or your husband should not get an FM3 now. You could get an FM3, and your family could come with FMTs for now. With that arrangement, you and your car would be allowed to stay for whatever long period you might wish; but you family would have to return to the border ever 180 days to get new FMTs.

Best wishes,

Rolly Pirate

E-visit me http://Rollybrook.com
On Facebook as Rolly Brook

(This post was edited by Rolly on Mar 23, 2003, 5:51 AM)

Uncle Donnie

Mar 23, 2003, 8:16 AM

Post #4 of 5 (601 views)

Shortcut

Re: [jcaa55] Student Visa VS Tourist Visa HELP!!!

Can't Post |

Hi back to ya' Christy,

The guys have pretty well given you the whole show but let me add an element of doubt to your planning.

The FM-T option may disappear soon. As stated, it's good for 180 days a year. In the past there was no way for Migracion to keep track of all the tourists but they're rapidly roaring into the computer age at the borders and that situation is rapidly changing.

The last time I crossed (just a few weeks ago) I noticed that they've changed the color of the temporary importation sticker for the vehicles so I'm betting that a lot of frequent border crossers are going to be purchasing new ones on their next return from the states, just as I did.

A similar situation might pop up in regard to the FM-T. I'd be very cautious about putting my academic future in jeopardy because I couldn't get across the border to go to class.

One unanswered question is what does your husband plan to do while you're working on the degree down here? How do you/he intend to support the family for a year? I'm not trying to get into your finances but the odds of either of you getting jobs while you're here are pretty slim unless you have very specific technical skills or very good contacts. Just another consideration.

I don't want to rain on your parade but I do encourage you to have an umbrella handy. I'd contact the nearest Mexican Consulate and discuss this with them. And I agree that it's easier to get an FM-3 once you're in Mexico. There are a number of folks who can, for a reasonable fee, take care of everything for you.

You might also consider contacting the U.S. or Canadian Consulate (whichever applies) in Guadalajara for more accurate info. Good luck with both your move and you degree.

Shameless self-promotion:
http://www.headformexico.com

jennifer rose

Mar 23, 2003, 7:46 PM

Post #5 of 5 (578 views)

Shortcut

Re: [jcaa55] Student Visa VS Tourist Visa HELP!!!

Can't Post |

Relying upon sequential FMTs (tourist cards) for a year’s stay in Mexico while you study is haphazard and sloppy. Not to mention unreliable.

I think you’ll find the answers you’re seeking at INAMI’s website, at http://www.inami.gob.mx/...os/reqinter_estu.htm, which explains the requirements for a student visa. The operative language that you’re seeking is: “El cónyuge y los familiares de los estudiantes tendrán la misma calidad y característica migratoria de éstos.”

The financial requirements for a student visa are less than those required for a no-inmigrante visitante rentista FM-3.

However, as another poster has brought up, there remains yet another unresolved issue if your spouse plans to work. He’ll need permission from INAMI to do so.

(This post was edited by jennifer rose on Mar 23, 2003, 7:47 PM)