Nov 14, 2012 Update
Our full article on the New Immigration Rules for Mexico is at:
New Rules and Procedures for Immigration, Visiting, and Staying in Mexico – Nov. 11, 2012
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Surviving Yucatan has been receiving some really fine reports from expats around Mexico, describing how the 2011 INM law and new regs are actually working. Since these reports are entered in the Comments section of either of 1 post or 2 articles, some readers may not see all of them. We especially liked the details and thorough-ness of one reader’s efforts.
Here is that novel set of comments:
Gary writes: (11/14/2011)
I called the Hotline in DF four separate times today to see if I would get a different answer when speaking to another agent than the first one this morning, and, the answer from the four was the same;
1) When renewing, you can renew from one to four years, depending on how long you want to stay. If you have two years on your current visa and only want to renew for two years, that’s fine.
~ At the end of the four years total (does not matter whether the first year or two or three were FM2 or FM3), you may then request a change to Residente Permanente based on four years residence;
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however, if you are here as a rentista no lucrativo, you will be asked to provide six bank statements** to prove that you have the monthly minimum required for Permanente ($2500 US ??)
2) You do not have to change to Permanente, just as you are not required to do now.
At the expiration of you Temp Visa, you may renew for 1-4 years at your discretion and stay in the country indefinitely. However each four years (if you renew for four years) you will have to once again show bank statements for six months showing the minimum monthly is being met. You do not have to leave the country and reapply in the US or Canada. You renew as you currently do forever…
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Wow, your repeated questions got some pretty tight answers, detailing the precise conditions of possible paths to change from a current FM2 or FM3 permit to a Residente Permanente permit.
I especially like the distinction that Gary drew out by questioning around how their might be differences between lucrativo FM3/FM2s vs rentista no lucrativo FM3/FM2 permit holder requirements. This might explain why some applicants are being asked to show bank statements, and others do not show bank statements. ??
Are any readers out visiting the regional offices finding confirmation of the requirements/rules they described to Gary?
One local Merida report, from an expat residency applicant, says that the local INM offices are NO LONGER doing final approvals or laminating Tarjetas de Residencia any more. Each application is now sent to a central office in DF, where they cross-check the applicant’s information, issue a final approval, and print and laminate the Tarjeta de Residencia (Residency Card).
These extra steps involving some central INM office in DF are reported to extend the whole application and approval process out to a total of 30 days (or more?).
If some central INM office in DF is reviewing all applications, then maybe they will have final say over approving the variations in requirements being reported from different regional INM offices?
Yet more fun things to wait-and-see how they are resolved.
Anybody else experiencing similar things or reading similar first-person reports?
steve
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© Steven M. Fry
Read on, MacDuff.
Our full article on Who are the Boomers Moving to Mexico is at:
Surviving Yucatan 