OK, Scorpio, I'll tell them that at my very first opportunity! (Then they'll snap to, by golly!) _______________________ I know, but they don't, can't, or won't, so I make the best of it, as do others who choose to live here. On balance, it's not a bad trade-off. It helps if you speak a little Spanish, but for those that don't, or simply don't want to put in the time it takes to figure it all out, there's always Mauricio. As for cost, it's still much less than it would have been in Panama, which is the only country in this part of the world that we seriously considered, aside from Mexico: there, they don't let you present your immigration applications yourself; instead, you must hire a lawyer for $2,500 USD per person, or more, plus pay all the official fees, making this process look like a bargain. _______________________
Permiso de salida y regresa I mentioned that my wife was going to need permission to leave and return while her application to extend her FM3 was in process: we went today to start the paperwork. There were no lines, and no waiting (just kidding, Rawkus!). Actually, we were in and out fast- just twenty minutes. We came in, asked for a "turno" (turn ticket), and had to wait about five minutes. We presented two originals of the form request which is prepared online, at the INM website. Inicio - Instituto Nacional de Migración We presented a letter requesting that she be given this permission (details of which can be found on the website); a copy of the application submitted for an extension of her FM3, filed earlier; a copy of her FM3; a copy of her plane ticket; and, a single photo, front view, usual type. Her application was registered, and she was told to return on the fourth business day, counting the day the application was presented; thus, her permiso will be ready next Wednesday. All over the office they have posted very official looking signs which say that, with no exceptions, they will follow this timetable in processing requests such as ours; so, for example, if you drop it off on Monday, it will not be ready any sooner than the following Thursday, according to the notice. The fee for this permiso was 287 pesos, which we paid at Santander Bank, around the corner, with no lines, and no waiting (this time, I'm not kidding!). This permission, which will allow you to stay out of the country for up to 60 days while your renewal is in process, is not available if you are requesting a change in your immigration status (for example, from FM3 to FM2). _____________________
V: Haha, thanks! Scorpio: I submitted pretty much at the same time as T.J, yet got it waaaaay later. Have no clue why they took months and months with mine. Its soon time to do it all again, but this time the company will help me, or Ill ask Mauricio. The fewer times one has to set foot in that office, the happier ones life will be, hehe.
No magic, Scorpio, just a serious effort to have the paperwork in order before setting one foot in the office, and two years of handling all the processes personally, for myself and my wife. (That's no kind of record, of course, as one poster to this forum said they'd been doing it themselves for twenty-five years, now.) In spite of all the news about the "shakeup" in INM, I can see no change in the front desk personnel; however, there may have been some changes made at the higher, administrative levels- certainly the newspapers thought so, at the time, and reported it; nor can I see any changes in the flow of paperwork through the office. I'll be very surprised if there is any change in the rate of turnover of the cases which, in my experience, can take five weeks to get from submitting the paperwork to being summoned back to the office for the next step in the process. There has been one change in the last year and a half that has produced benefit to those, like me, who do it themselves: the websiite now tells you when the paperwork has been officially approved, and then requests you to come back to the office; after that, everything is by appointment. The net result, no wasted trips just to check on the status of the case.
Just an update, my renewal went in the first week of May and I finally have my appointment tomorrow to turn in photos, sign, pay, etc.. I am truly grateful to only have to go to that wretched office once, with an appointment. Taking care of it on my own just doesn't make any sense, the money I would lose from taking time off work would probably add up to Mauricio's fee anyway and the time and stress just aren't worth it. (Though this year for the first time my company has taken care of everything, sorry Mauricio, but thanks company for saving me the fee!)
Had to wait 50 minutes for my wife to be given the Permiso de salida y regreso (permission to leave Mexico, and return, while your immigration docs are being processed), which I consider within the acceptable range, if not good; but, as usual for us, after five weeks, today, they still had not "resolved" (as they say) the renewal of her FM3. She is due to make another trip to the U.S. soon, so, it was back to the offices of INM for me. After a one hour wait (brought a book, "The Black Swan"), I was told (as I already knew, from checking the status online) that her renewal had not yet been "resolved." I patiently explained that she would be returning from the U.S., next week, and that if they didn't get it done soon, she'd have to ask for a second Permiso de salida y regreso, next week! (She's got another trip booked.) This drove them to the back of the office to search for her file, after which they told me to return tomorrow AM, at which time I expect she will be given an appointment (this will give them time to look over her file, which I suspect they haven't done, yet!). By the time my wife gets her renewed FM3, about six and a half weeks will have passed, I expect, but this is near the norm, in my experience. I've mentioned this before, but prodding, in a way that respects the system they have in place, can help to move things along: it also helps if you have a flexible schedule, so you can make the trips necessary to deal with the inevitable inefficiencies. They are really busy: you should have seen the number of cases they processed, just in the one hour I was sitting there. I can give them a little slack, knowing this, so long as they respond to my personal appeals, as they did again, today.
CancunScorpio...what is your deal? If you hate Cancun so much then why do you keep posting in a Living in Cancun forum? You must be the biggest loser in Canada!
They made me wait, but they gave me the appointment I was after, without their asking for a single additional document, or piece of information. I told them the appointment had to be for next week, and they gave me the 17th, so that part of it was fine; the wait was not. They even managed to try my patience, today: it didn't help that I forgot to take a book! They're clearly grossly overloaded for the number of staff they have. The front desk people, those who deal with the public, looked especially harried, today, with at least two complete turnovers of "customers" being processed while I was there (perhaps something approaching one hundred, in total), plus whatever the large number of lawyers and agents who came while I was there brought them to handle.
