INTERESTING DAY YESTERDAY Yesterday, Monday as I write this, was 13 days since I turned in my Inmigrante renewal. I still did not appear in the system. Last year I had my FMI in only 12 calendar/9 business days, from start to finish. So I showed up before 9:30 and got in the Submit Docs line again. Told the agent, she stepped to her right, came back 20 seconds later and my "receipt for my docs" had a note reading DOCUMENTOS REFRENDO. She directed me to the ladies who do the final doc preparation. Mari gave me the payment info for Banjercito, told me to go pay, bring back my Passport, CURP, Pix and two copies of the receipt from Banjercito. It cost $3,140 by the way. I already had the all these items with me but had to hit an ATM. this whole process took maybe 30 minutes. Across the street from Banjercito , a tiny bit to the left, is a sign reading COPIAS. $1.5 each. I got 3 but two would have been enough. The original and one copy for INM and a stamped copy back to me. I was first in that line, again with Mari, upon my return. She checked my receipt and told me to wait while my docs were prepared. After 15-20 minutes. I signed off, had prints taken etc. and she told e I could come back tomorrow (today) or she would walk my file to the gray haired man, whose name I forget, and he would give me my FMI in a few minutes. It took about ten, which I spent visiting with two friends. In my case this was a two day process that took 13. HINT: At Foto Guillermo, I got six head shots and six profiles. INM wanted 3 and 1 so I have next year's fotos ready to go already. Not sure why their FM2/FM3 $100 pkg has 6&6 but it works for me. I don't think it hurt that Mari was the one who was so very helpful last year, took care of me this time. I ran into her at the super Sunday night and told her I was coming in to check the next day. We made early eye contact. LIFE IS GOOD, UNLESS YOU ARE RAWKUS.
T.J. has once again gotten through the system in record time! He didn't say, exactly, but this was a renewal of an "Inmigrante" (former FM2) migratory document under the law now in effect, not under the new law. Part of the key to his speed through the system was having every single requirement for this renewal ready, when needed. It probably didn't hurt that he was doing it under the old law, with which everyone is familiar, including the staff at INM. Under the new law, with its two categories of residency, he would have been automatically classified "temporary resident", unless he made sure to ask for permanent residency, and submitted the required supporting documents for a change of status to permanent resident. There is now a more convenient way to get photos, should you need them at the last minute. Walking out of the INM building and going to the left, towards Av Tulum, you pass DHL on the left and soon reach some small shops, one of which makes photos and copies. I've used them for the last two renewals I've processed, mine and my wife's, about ten months apart. They can process the photos while you wait, taking about ten minutes.
V, Even more convenient is a new place right across Nader, I think next door to the former language school, two at the most.
I was obviously joking my friend. I hear your have changed your lifestyle in a most positive way. Congrats and keep it up.
With the change in the law, do you think we'll still need to prove economic solvency if I go the route of spouse of a Mexican (as well as mother of Mexican children)? I looked through the new law and I think it was Article 36 or 37 that deals specifically with family unification. I didn't see anything about economic solvency... That darn economic solvency issue is really nagging me (obviously)!
Article 112 of the regulations speaks of the genreral requirements. I've never had an occasion to dig out the details of the sums required, or how they can be evidenced to establish economic solvency. I expect the exact numbers are available. I'll try a search of the Diario de la Federacion. __________________ Whatever the law may say is required, I don't suppose you'd be planning to come down here to live without a clear idea of how it was that you were going to make it, here, financially. Doesn't the answer finally lie in your plans for this? If you can clearly see where the money's going to come from, I wouldn't think it too hard to persuade the INM. If you're not sure, then that clearly would be another matter. If you can present it in a concrete way, with a degree of supporting documents relating to income and expenses, and it is obviously sufficient so far as you're concerned, for all members of the family, INM officials would probably think so, too. I'll continue to see if I can get some numbers for you, but it may not be more than general guidelines, with discretion for the INM to make the final call. __________________
Thank you, V, for your research and your response. We will have some money saved up to get by for a few months after we get there. We will see what we can work out as far as employment goes. What we end up doing really depends on a number of factors. I have a TEFL certification, but I would much rather start my own small business than work for someone else. What that might entail (financially, with respect to complying with regulations regarding small businesses) will also play a big part in whether I do that sooner rather than later. My husband can also work, but it will inevitably not be high-paying. Hopefully it would be enough, but again, we'll have to see. So there are a lot of factors in play.
Because of your family ties, you may be in the enviable position of having not 30 days in which to apply for residency, but 180 days after you enter the country. During that 180 days you would have a chance to see what the possibilities for making money actually are, for both you and your husband, what it is actually going to cost you to live and, if needed, you could drive down to Belize and back to get another 180 day stay.
