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Putting residency requirements for expats in Mexico in perspective


Kevin K

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A friend just posted this link to a Washington Post article showing the steps prospective legal immigrants to the U.S. from Mexico have to go through. It certainly puts the new income and foreign plated car stuff we're dealing with in perspective:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/29/the-path-to-legal-immigration-in-one-insanely-confusing-chart/

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The U.S. has over 11 million illegal immigrants, the majority of whom are Mexicans.

Their problem isn't that the path to legalization in the U.S is convoluted.

Their problem is that they entered the U.S. illegally.

In contrast, the majority of us here who are troubled by "the new income and foreign plated car stuff" showed our passports at the frontier.

The point is, if I want to stay in Mexico I have to be "legal."

For Mexicans in the U.S., that's merely an option.

And, by the way, why pick on the U.S.?

Please, please tell us how easy it is for Mexicans to emigrate to Canada.

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If you read the article, the fellow was German, presumably with a valid work visa, who entered the U.S. legally and now after several years, would like to stay but the rules are so convoluted that it takes years of going through red tape to do that. I believe that the Mexican gov't is making it easier for us to stay here providing that we have the means to provide for ourselves. I agree that this puts some of the hysteria about the new rules here in perspective.

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Germany has been at the forefront of EU nations expelling foreign nationals whom it no longer finds useful.

And I'm still waiting for someone to tell us how easy it is for Mexicans to emigrate to Canada.

It depends on the Mexican.

We do have an excellent Guest worker program. A lot of the illegal immigrants, in the US, would much rather live with their families in their own Country and a good guest worker program is a great way to do that.... With ours, they make fair wages, with medical insurance while in Canada and then go home to be with their families during the Winter. There is an over 90% rehire rate in our region. Should the workers, at some point, want to immigrate permanently.... this time working in Canada will be taken into account. I can not recall the length of time, but it counts towards eligibility.

If you are an english speaking Mexican with a Computer Science degree, or certain Engineering degree..(From a good school)... it is very easy to immigrate. There are certain trades and professions that are in high demand. We have a point system and a lot of corporations are working hard to recruit workers in these categories where there is a labour shortage.

If you are a Mexican who is considered a refugee, such as a journalist who has had death threats in Mexico, there is an entirely different process. Very tough to come in under this category for Mexicans because you have to prove there is not any place in Mexico where the candidate could be safe.

Do you want a job as a nanny or a care giver? That another process.

Now, if you are a retired Mexican, with a Government pension and you want to retire in Canada.... that is another story all together. I am sorry I am not up to speed with the amount of money you have to have, but it is a lot more that what the Mexicans are asking of us. You do have to show you can support yourself and, I believe, you can come under investor status. I am sure you can go and read the Canadian government website for details. I think I am going to do that and bring myself up to date.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp

For fun, I used their interactive eligibility tool. I entered data to say I was a 65 year old widowed Mexican with a networth of less than 300K. I entered that I did not have any relatives in Canada and I did not expect to work. The result was that I was not eligible to immigrate. I started again, but this time I said I ad 1.6 Million net worth and I would be willing to invest 800K in Canada. Looks like they might accept that Mexican!

It is not easy to immigrate to Canada when you are retired.

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It takes 5 years for a Mexican to immigrae to Canada if my memory is good. They can also get a work Visa and get subsidize by the Harper Governent. No sure if this helped or not.

With the guest worker program, in Canada, the Mexican governement is involved in the screening of the candiates for the job. They have a job before they come to Canada. They have private medical insurance, that is manditory. They are covered by Workmans Comp. They pay income tax and can apply for a refund. My brother works with the guest workers in our area of BC. He, and a group of volenteers, help the guest workers with things like Drs appointments, filing tax returns etc. I have registered guest workers, at the hospital that I work at part time, for medical emergencies and helped prepare the paperwork. Its a very well established program and works well. They need more oversight to insure the employers are providing housing, which is part of the contract.

I just read an article that states the US is looking at the Canadian guest worker program.

This is not it, but it is another one that explains the program. I see no subsidy.

http://www.losangelesimmigrationlawattorney.com/2013/01/will-the-us-look-north-for-help-with-reforming-its-guest-worker-program.shtml

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Not only that, but INS offices in different states, have different rules and protocals to follow for implementing immigration. I know this from adopting two kids from Russia in the year 2000. What we had to do for INS in Portland Or was different from what other adopting parents had to do in other states to adopt children from the same orphanage. What madness is this??

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SunshineGirl, that is interesting, but I am not surprised.

I have to say that, when I immigrated to the States I was treated very differently than other people I know. It really depended on which consulate you went to, and who processed your application. I do not think it is easy to immigrate anywhere. I think it is getting more difficult for those on a limited income. Those with a million, or more are welcome if they agree to invest.

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The U.S. has over 11 million illegal immigrants, the majority of whom are Mexicans.

Their problem isn't that the path to legalization in the U.S is convoluted.

Their problem is that they entered the U.S. illegally.

In contrast, the majority of us here who are troubled by "the new income and foreign plated car stuff" showed our passports at the frontier.

The point is, if I want to stay in Mexico I have to be "legal."

For Mexicans in the U.S., that's merely an option.

And, by the way, why pick on the U.S.?

Please, please tell us how easy it is for Mexicans to emigrate to Canada.

No, the point is that Americans who want to visit or retire in Mexico are welcomed with open arms and very few hoops to jump through, while Mexicans who want to visit (let alone live in) the U.S. have to run a gauntlet of rules and regulations that are truly byzantine in their complexity. Canada is irrelevant: it doesn't share a border with Mexico, immigration to Canada is very difficult for Americans, let alone Mexicans, etc.

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No, the point is that Americans who want to visit or retire in Mexico are welcomed with open arms and very few hoops to jump through, while Mexicans who want to visit (let alone live in) the U.S. have to run a gauntlet of rules and regulations that are truly byzantine in their complexity. Canada is irrelevant: it doesn't share a border with Mexico, immigration to Canada is very difficult for Americans, let alone Mexicans, etc.

You've made my point for me. You criticize the U.S. for making Mexicans "run a gauntlet of rules and regulations that are truly byzantine" yet seem to think it's perfectly natural for Canada to make "immigration . . . very difficult for Americans, let alone Mexicans."

The truth is that Canada, like Mexico, pursues a zero-tolerance policy for illegal immigrants.

And regarding the Canadian-Mexican guest worker program:

It permits 16,000 Mexicans a year to work in Canada on a temporary basis. The program offers no path to legalization. In fact, to ensure that the Mexicans don’t overstay their visas the Canadian government withholds a portion of their pay and deposits it in a special fund. The workers only can claim their money after they return to Mexico. Furthermore, while Canada requires that the workers be married, they cannot bring their wives or children with them to Canada.

Meanwhile, along with an estimated 525,000 illegal immigrants from Mexico, in 2011--a typical year--the U.S. admitted over 65,000 Mexican nationals as legal immigrants, a status that places them on a clear path to citizenship. And legal immigrants are entitled to bring in members of their immediate families.

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The U.S. has over 11 million illegal immigrants, the majority of whom are Mexicans.

Their problem isn't that the path to legalization in the U.S is convoluted.

Their problem is that they entered the U.S. illegally.

In contrast, the majority of us here who are troubled by "the new income and foreign plated car stuff" showed our passports at the frontier.

The point is, if I want to stay in Mexico I have to be "legal."

For Mexicans in the U.S., that's merely an option.

And, by the way, why pick on the U.S.?

Please, please tell us how easy it is for Mexicans to emigrate to Canada.

There are many US citizens who are illegally in Mexico because they overstayed their visas. There are also many who work illegally.

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Mexico has a stated policy of encouraging retirees of independent means to retire here. With the recent changes, they have both simplified and improved the visa process while also raising the bar on what they consider to be independent means. Although they are allowing those already here on FM2/3 visas to become permanent residents without meeting the new higher income standards, the bidding is still out on whether they have set the bar so high that it works against said stated policy.

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Luisa has a point go down to Chiapas and you will see a whole lot of foreigners living there illegally, panhandling, surviving selling drugs and playing bad music, overstaying their visas , working illegally and so on. Not all areas have well behaved middle-class retiree population. A little clean-up and raising the bar on new arrivals will not hurt Mexico.

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SunshineGirl, that is interesting, but I am not surprised.

I have to say that, when I immigrated to the States I was treated very differently than other people I know. It really depended on which consulate you went to, and who processed your application. I do not think it is easy to immigrate anywhere. I think it is getting more difficult for those on a limited income. Those with a million, or more are welcome if they agree to invest.

The difference is that these children were being processed as US citizens, not immigrants! And yet still different sets of policies state by state...

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Luisa has a point go down to Chiapas and you will see a whole lot of foreigners living there illegally, panhandling, surviving selling drugs and playing bad music, overstaying their visas , working illegally and so on. Not all areas have well behaved middle-class retiree population. A little clean-up and raising the bar on new arrivals will not hurt Mexico.

And I for one think you would be amazed at the people who live illegally at Lake Chapala. You might never know who they are--they don't talk about it.

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This is not very surprising. I used to have a green card, I have been married to a US citizen for over 40 years, I pay US Federal taxes and I was told 10 years ago it would take me 5 years to get a new green card and another 5 to become a citizen... That was 10 years ago who knows how long it would take now.

yes it would be interestig to know how many people live here and work here illegaly not to mention all the people renting their houses out without paying the hacienda....Much easier to complain about illegal Mexicans than to look into your own group.

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I suspect anywhere from 1/2 to 2/3 of the foreigners who live here at lakeside year round would not meet the new financial levels required to get a visa. We are nnot talking about citizenship.or the path to it. If my numbers are correct, as this is a transient and morbid population, that means that in a few years the number of foreigners living here will be dropping.

The effect on the economy of the area will be devastatiing. As recently as 10 years ago this was a quiet, sleepy area with few stores, restaurants or businesses. The economic growth came mostly from foreigners who arrived, bought or rented homes and made their lives here under the old financial levels. It worked for the Mexicans and it worked for the foreigners. I don't see the new financial levels being a positive for Mexico.

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Yes, the area can go back to having really sweaty sewers, empty stores and restaurants, more poverty and petty crime. Doncha love it. Maybe consumer prices will go down in the fallout, though. Maybe Walmart will fold...

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Tapatios who move here will continue to do most of their shopping in Guadalajara, not support the charities which not only helps people at Lakeside but also spends the money donated at lakeside , will drop the inflated pay for the domestic help and will frequent only the better restaurants. It will be trickle down back to poverty for many of the locals.

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