Yet another posting about immigration rules...

[Doyle Phillips]

I'm hoping that posting on the Mexican Consulate page is as up-to-date and correct as it appears to be. But i hear that the income requirements are far more than the $1000 monthly specified below.

Have you recently got your immigration visa? Can you tell me if this info is the real McCoy? Where is it wrong? Do you know another website that's trustworthy?
[/b]
From the website:
RETIRED INCOME HOLDER (RENTISTA) ?ltima actualizaci?n el Viernes, 11 de Enero de 2013 00:54
http://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/sanbernardin...ntacion/79

The current immigration law of Mexico has established the migratory classification of ?visitante rentista? (retired Immigrant), for foreigners who want to live in retirement in Mexico subsisting on funds or any other permanent income derived from Mexican fixed interested-bearing securities. Such persons are not permitted, however, to engage in any remunerative activities. ?Visitantes rentistas? may live in Mexico under this status with an FM-3 visa renewable every year.

REQUIREMENTS: PASSPORTVALID FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR FROM THE DATE OF ENTRY
? LETTER OF APPLICATION: Address to the Consulate of Mexico specifying the purpose of your entry in M?xico. The letter should include:
? Your request to have an FM3
? Date of travel and port of entry.
? Address in Mexico.
? PROOF OF PERMANENT INCOME: [/b]applicant must prove a monthly income of $1,000.00 USD dollars,[b] or equivalent in Mexican currency. If the prospective immigrant applies also for the admission of members of his immediate family, the minimum income required will be the equivalent of 25% additional per month for each member. The income required may consist of rents, pensions or income from interest or cash deposits in banking institutions, which can be proved with bank statements or a letter from a bank or government office from where the applicant receives his income, informing the monthly amount that he receives. If applicant?s income derives from a Mexican bank or investment, written proof must be presented.
? VALID PASSPORT, for at least one year.
? 2 passport size photographs front view and 2 from right profile.
? FM3 $98.00 USD cash, debit or credit card (Visa, Discover or Master Card).
? Visa $36.00 USD cash, debit or credit card (Visa, Discover or Master Card).
? If you are planning on taking your households goods, you have 6 months to apply for the stamp. You need to present an itemized list of your belongings, type in Spanish, in columns, at single spacing, with the description of each item. Electrical appliances must include name, brand, model and serial number.
? Payment of Consular Stamp $127.00 USD cash, debit or credit card (Visa, Discover or Master Card) .

[Mykul]

I believe the monthly income requirements for retirees are closer to 2000.00
I am in the process of my permanent residency right now but my situation is a little different as my wife is a Mexican citizen and we are not retired.

However I have been going over a LOT of info since the rules have changed and I believe that is the current requirement.

mexconnect.com and rollybrook.com have proven to be valuable resources for me during this process. (as has this website)

[The Duck]

Doyle, I think it all depends on when and where...

So if you are in San Bernadino where the info you post comes from

what the list says may apply but if you are not in San Bernadino caveat emptor when you go to Migracion you'll just look like a fool in saying "...but it says ont he website."

If you are here - 1st go with the main INM website not SRE's [that's for outside the country]
So going to that INM site you find it already woefully out-of-date: Tr?mites Estancia Vigente a partir del 9 de noviembre de 2012

So what do you do? Most of the basic stuff never changes - get it together - take a trip to Leon or SMA and find out what is current as of this minute - get it and get back there quick before they change the rules again. Oh, what they say in SMA [main office here] doesn't always mean that the rule will be the same in Leon [which is a branch of SMA]

[laconstance]

Doyle, this whole new immigration business depends on what your current situation is. Did your previous visas expire? Are you in M?xico on a tourist visa? Do you currently hold a "no inmigrante" visa, and for how many years? The new law made some things much easier and others trickier. Although the law was passed in April of 2011, it was not implemented until November 2012. The most important aspect of the new law is that you cannot change a tourist visa into a resident visa while you are in the country of M?xico. You have to apply BEFORE you cross the border. You can read the law (all 9 articles!) here:

2011 law

This website (in English) has the most accurate information (including financial requirements) I have yet seen for foreigners wanting to live in M?xico:

http://yucalandia.com/living-in-yucatan-...e-article/

I just received a "Residente Permanente" visa. Here's how it worked for me. in 2009, I received an FM-3, then renewed it each year, even as the designations were changed by the government. My most recent card read "no inmigrante." About 30 days before that visa was due to expire, I made a special trip to San Miguel de Allende to find out what I needed to do for the next renewal. The men at the counter looked at my visa (with its Pr?rroga 3 and confirmed that I could apply for the permanent resident visa. He gave me two sheets of paper, outlining all the requirements that I should bring with me. It is a two-step process ("Expedici?n de documento migratorio por autorizaci?n de condici?n de estancia" and "Cambio de condici?n de estancia de residente temporal a residente permanente") both involving serious money. He said that I could do both steps at the same time in their office. One of the steps involved filling out a form online in advance of your visit to apply. I was told to show up with all my papers and bank proof of payment of fees on the exact date my "no inmigrante" visa expires! Not one day earlier and not one day later -- on that EXACT date. So, I did, submitting all appropriate paperwork on that date, at which time I was told to come back in a week, exact day not required. So, I went back in about 9 days, signed a bunch of papers and had a full set of fingerprints made. I was told to come back in 3 -4 weeks. Because of the Easter holidays, I gave them 5 weeks, and just picked up my card this week.

Since my original FM-3 application in 2009, I have never had to prove income again, but then I have renewed the visa every year, never letting it expire.

I can't stress enough the importance of making a special trip to the Migraci?n office in which you intend to make your application, to get the current requirements directly from "the horse's mouth." Don't trust what you read online!

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Sorry, I didn't get that last link correct. Here it is:New law explanation