DIVERSITY VISA LOTTERY We do, indeed, Rawkus. Read the thread, "Immigrating to the U.S.", for more details. [It's my attempt to move this discussion off this thread, because it's pulling the discussion away from the theme of working in Mexico, a very important topic for many readers of "Living in Cancun". (Not casting any blame, to be sure, as I'm principally responsible for the digression. Sorry, Luckie, and Windknot, and others, for my role in this!)] V.
PERMISSION TO WORK Anybody ever read a figure on how many foreigners are working in Qunitana Roo, with official permission of the Mexican Government (FM3)? I can't imagine, but I know a modest number of them, myself. They work in travel related industries, or time share sales/management, for the most part, it seems. A few teach English. Many more have businesses of their own. I also know other expats who work in a self-employed capacity. Often their work involves commerce of some kind, or an offer of personal services, over the internet. They do not, for the most part, have official permission to work here; but, they do not enter the job market in Mexico to any degree at all, nor do they offer their services or products in the Mexican market: they, perhaps therefore, do not need permission to work. (Whether they need permission would be a good question for a Mexican attorney, immigration specialist, should you be interested in pursuing that type of activity in Mexico.) One self-employed work possibility- for those who have a wide range of skills necessary to home improvements/remodeling- is the option of buying and remodeling homes and condos to U.S. standards, insofar as possible, with resale in mind. At the time of this posting, the market for resales is soft; but, over time, it should improve, and perhaps the baby boomers from the U.S. and Canada will be moving to Cancun in larger numbers, in the years ahead, looking for affordable housing that suits their tastes. (There is nothing in this that strikes me as requiring official permission to work in Mexico.) With there being a paucity of western style, less expensive housing options on the market, this could fill a niche. ______________________ For those who are serious about living and working here, learning Spanish can play a big role in your success. I had the very draining experience of discovering that, after I did get a chance to speak with decision makers in the process of developing my work here, none of them spoke English, and I struggled through meeting after important meeting with a Spanish learned in school, forty-seven years ago! (Sure wish I'd have paid better attention in class!) :? Now, four months later, my Spanish has much improved, and I just started to take lessons, which should make a difference, over time. Among the foreigners I've met who've been most successful here, each and every one of them has learned to speak Spanish. If anyone would be interested in small group lessons, here in Cancun, please PM me.
CARTA DE ANTECEDENTES NO PENALES I guess nobody's got any idea how many of us there are working here. (I'll ask, next time I'm in immigration.) ____________________ We've talked about the need for official permission to work, for some occupations. But, making multiple trips to immigration, and getting your FM3, is not necessarily the end of the process. For those who are self-employed, there will be trips to the tax office to register with Mexico's tax authority, the S.A.T. This process is commenced online, but you will have to visit the tax office personally to complete the process. See the website, below, for details regarding documents you will be required to produce to complete the enrollment process. www.sat.gob.mx/sitio_internet/21_12672.html _____________________ An additional requirement I ran into recently was a demand from a prospective employer for a "Carta de Antecedentes no Penales" (official statement of no criminal record, in Mexico). That one had me stumped until I learned you get those at the Procuradora de Justicia del Estado, corner of Ixcaret and Kabah. Green and white building, you enter through a security check- like at the airport- then follow the signs deep into the building. They're open 9-12 PM, only, M-F, for this administrative procedure. It costs just 115 pesos. (As with other admin offices, don't go at opening time: the line was 80 or so long, at 9 AM!) Just when I thought I had everything covered, I was told I would need a "Constancia". To my relief, that one just turned out to be a sworn statement that I'd never committed a crime involving a violation of trust while working for the State of Quintana Roo. No special trips to unfamiliar government offices would be required! To work here, you do what they require and make as many trips as necessary, to as many government offices as necessary. The requirements are usually detailed but, other than the time it takes, it's not really all that difficult, once you're got your paperwork together (now that can be difficult!).
Re: YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUIRED! TJ-I'll give you one and take one away. First the take away: http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthcertificate.asp http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/06/obama-birth.html And I'll give you one: If you look at my post regarding the situation with flu vaccine delivery in the US, http://www.cancuncare.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=43788&start=15: If this situation would have happened during the eight dark years of your guy, we liberals would have been screaming for Arbusto Boy's head. How Obama is escaping the same fate is beyond me. And while we're playing with fun accusations, McCain wasn't born in the US. At least Hawaii is/was a state. McCain was not born within the borders of any of the States of the Union. Ain't facts fun? BTW, that fact did not disqualify his candidacy.
Wasn't McCain born on a US Base in Panama? So that's US soil. Being born on US soil gives you the right to become for prez. Afaik a US citizen born off US soil cannot become prez because they are not a "natural born citizen."
All we need now is for the holocaust deniers to step forward.... Let's see, "working in Cancun," if you were born on U.S. soil, you can apply for permission to work in Cancun: if you were not, you can still apply for permission to work here.
Congratulations! You've won Final Jeopardy! But you poached on a question intended for TJ. As I said, it didn't disqualify McCain.
Oops. Sorry. I was up all night shopping online for Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster paraphernalia (I kid you not). So my reading and comprehension skills today are rotten.
