Being an organized sort, I reviewed our checklist, updated our 3 prerogas and printed them, got 3 months worth of bank statements, copied those pages of our passports that have changed and swapped them for the appropriate jpgs in our passport copies, printed the passports, printed the copy of our escrito for the house, got the phone bill and the electric bill and pinted copies of them as well. You would think that doing this from a schedule would cover all the bases, right? Well, the answer is wrong. The format of the prorogas has changed for the third year in a row. Oh, and if the adddress on your phone bill and your electric bill do not match to the letter, they're not good either. In other words, what sailed through (after the requisite round of arbitrary changes) last year, won't do this year (again). Can someone explain to me why none of this bs happens to our friends on both ends of Baja (Rosarito and La Paz) nor to our friends in Guadalajara? Is it that the Cancun office is so screwed up, or do they just have it in for us gringos? At any rate, we've dumped the whole mess into the hands of our lawyer (thanks TJ, she's great) rather than my going postal and getting kicked out of the country, or worse. One of these days someone has to get a handle on what goes on here on the frontera.
Indeed, a lawyer is the way to go. Completed mine about a month ago... Put it all in my lawyers hands and he took care of everything. I was quite happy. Just wish I didn't have to do it EVERY year.
Yes, the Cancun INM downtown office is whacked right now. I know that they've been getting pickier lately about bank statements, don't want printouts, but want "originals" (All my investment and bank accounts are paperless...so there are no originals). And they have been shifting the reqs for rentistas. There's been chaos in the office this year. And they are not the brightest bulbs over there. Sorry I have nothing constructive to say except that I feel your pain. It used to be that INM mostly just picked on the people who wanted to work here. But lately they are getting uppity about renewing FM3s for people who cans how plenty off income from outside Mexico (rentistas). I'm not sure what the shift is about. It might have something to do with there simply being a lot more expats living here than in other parts of Mexico. But who knows.
Immigration Lawyer I have used an immigration lawyer for the last 3 renewals of my FM3 and it has been great! This year, I had to find a new lawyer, since mine moved out of Cancun. Rivergirl referred me to Mauricio Mendoza and I couldn't be happier. He is very professional, courteous, and, punctual! (Yes, I said PUNCTUAL!) He also returns calls, text messages, and emails in a timely fashion. Maurico speaks/reads English. I believe his fee was $3,000MXP for my FM3 renewal...plus the cost of the FM3. Rentistas are $500 pesos more, I think. He had my renewed FM3 in my hand in about 3 weeks....and that was in May, when many people I know were getting the runaround with their renewals. I highly recommend Mauricio! If anyone needs his contact information, please send me a private message.
That's the one argument I can't buy. Rosarito is an American/Canadian enclave. San Miguel de Allende is USA South of the Border, the Trump developement of Tijuana is aimed at huge numbers of non-retired Americans who work over the border in the US . The efforts to clean up the police, widen the entry/exit lanes at the San Diego border and the electronic, rapid access lanes being built to facilitate the Trump project are example of pro-active Mexican involvement in accomodating expats. And what about the Lake Chapala area, where expats have been piling in for years? I would venture that all of these places have a higher number of expat, full-time residents than Cancun. The contrast between the hole in the ground that is the Cancun office and the air-conditioned, clean and comfortable office in Merida, populated by multi-lingual agents has to be seen. We have friends in each and every one of these places and none endure the difficulties and arbitrary policies that we suffer here. I can only posit that the appearence, policies and code of conduct in the Cancun office is deliberate and designed to discourage us old, broken down retirees from living here. I know from personal observation and second hand knowledge that other areas are far more welcoming to us than Cancun. Of course the other areas don't have the Caribbean at their front door, and that is the pull that keeps so many of us here. And I guess that the amount of cash we infuse into the local economy pales in comparison to the beer and booze money being hauled off to the bank every day. Maybe in the non-party towns of Mexico our produced outside Mexico, but spent inside Mexico dollars, euros, pounds and pesos are better appreciated, as are the people who spend them.
It would be hard to find an attorney more qualified than Mauricio Mendoza to handle Immigration issues. Mauricio used to be the boss of the Cancun office, he was the sub-delegado, he signed my first FM3. His wife is an INM agent and still works downtown. No one has more insight or better connections than Mauricio. I've referred a number of people to Mauricio. About half have told me he was too expensive, didn't hire him, and each went on to have problems with INM. Every person I've referred who has hired Mauricio has been happy and felt he was worth every centavo.
I can't speak about the cultural differences between various INM offices. But I've heard the same stuff. They are nicer everywhere else it seems.
You know, I swear that you were just posting last week about getting your last FM3! Sorry to hear that it's that time again. Wow...when I went to INM in Merida a few years back, the office was tiny and dark, and not one person spoke English! Interesting to know that it's been fancied up!
Mine was set to expire today so the application to renew went in 30 days ago. They rejected it because my signature on two pages did not match that of my old FM3 or passport. So those items had to be reprinted and signed again. Still waiting. I have to leave Mexico on the 13th and have to get a special permit to leave and it will come like the day before I have to go, yet the FM3 will still be sitting in limbo. I use a lawyer as I don't have the patience to deal with this mess.
