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Should I use an attorney?


Herman

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Are you asking if you should use a facilitator in Mexico to obtain temporal status?  If you are, many do hire help.  I am including a link of a very popular law firm lakeside.  There are many facilitators available, not all are attorneys.  You did not say where you will be going in Mexico so I am not sure that this link will actually be of any service to you.

http://www.chapalalaw.com/immigration-2/

 

 

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Many do use lawyers once they're in the country. Many do not, me included, after discovering that I was wasting money on local law advice. I found that by going to the local immigration facility they were more than happy to tell me what I needed to do-even gave me instructions on where to find a photographer that would meet their standards for photos. Good luck.

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My office helps people.  Some people are penny pinchers, others do it your selfers, others would rather have things done right and not worry and deal with preparing forms and waiting in lines at the bank and at immigration for the one document that is essential for life in Mexico.

Some do their own taxes, change the oil in their cars, mow their own lawns and wash their cars, others don't.  It is like insurance, some feel they don't need it but are glad they have it when they need it.  Immigration can be quirky and some cases need extra attention and sometimes you never know until you submit and then weeks pass and find out that they made a mistake or need something fixed.  Other times we see issues and mistakes or things that need extra care or explaining to do it from the start as after 1,000s of visas and going up to 2 times daily to immigration in Chapala / Guadalajara we have learned quite a few things and see patterns as well as changes in policies which you do not want to be the first person prejudiced by.  

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Very nicely stated Spencer. I have always found the services that are provided by your office, you and your staff to be exemplary. Moving to Mexico is stressful enough without dealing with the bureaucracy of the various government entities.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I did it myself.  The local Immigration office gave me a printed list of everything they needed.  I pulled the documents they wanted, brought them, along with photos they needed.  I went to the bank to make the payment for the fee as they instructed.  It was really pretty simple.  The people at Immigration speak English.  I did not see the need to pay an attorney just for that.  Even if you hire one, you still have to pull all your documents together.  If you really don't want to do it, perhaps a facilitator will be less costly.

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 It depends on your patience for dealing with the Mexican bureaucracy at its best or, more importantly, if it goes sideways. Despite the happy stories of flawless processing it does not ALWAYS go that way. If you are prepared to handle it if it does not go as planned or even look forward to the challenge then do it yourself. If you are tired or your patience is already worn thin let someone do it for you. 

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On 10/19/2018 at 11:47 AM, Xena said:

 It depends on your patience for dealing with the Mexican bureaucracy at its best or, more importantly, if it goes sideways. Despite the happy stories of flawless processing it does not ALWAYS go that way. If you are prepared to handle it if it does not go as planned or even look forward to the challenge then do it yourself. If you are tired or your patience is already worn thin let someone do it for you. 

All valid points.  You must do what makes you comfortable.

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I did everythng myself from Temporary to permanent to citizenship and I did not speak Spanish when I got here.. I like to know what the process is and like to be self reliant  but everyone is different.. If you do not speak Spanish or do not feel comfortable dong it by yourself go to a facilitator or try and if you find it too difficult get a facilitator.

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On ‎10‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 11:03 AM, bmh said:

I did everythng myself from Temporary to permanent to citizenship and I did not speak Spanish when I got here.. I like to know what the process is and like to be self reliant  but everyone is different.. If you do not speak Spanish or do not feel comfortable dong it by yourself go to a facilitator or try and if you find it too difficult get a facilitator.

Did you speak Spanish when you applied for Temporary? For Permanente? For Citizenship?

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We made it through to Permanente with only basic/intermediate Spanish. It is not difficult to do it yourself. We did use an attorney for part of our Permanente application, but traffic held up the attorney's employee for the final transactions at INM in Guadalajara; so, we ended up doing it ourselves anyway.

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If you are going to the INM office in Chapala, the staff all spoke English when I was there.  With the office in Chapala and the relatively new process of first applying at a Consulate outside of Mexico, there is almost no reason to use a lawyer or a facilitator (other than for comfort/reassurance if you are the insecure type and because the facilitators are now earning their keep by sometimes helping you to jump the queue, thus shortening your wait).

It does help to know that, by going to the INM website, you can fill out your SOLICITUD (application form) ahead of time and get a list of the documents and photocopies you will need.  And the pictures - INFANTIL size, two front and one side shots.  Once these are checked, and if you have got it right, you are given a form to take to a bank to pay the fee.  You then return with your COMPROBANTE DE PAGO (receipt of payment) and then wait for the email saying you can go in and get fingerprinted (about two weeks).  Your card is then ready for pick up in around another two weeks. Once you are in the system, you can monitor progress of your application on-line.

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Lots of good people to help at reasonable cost. We recently used MAGO's Office in Chapala for processing our permanente visa beginning to end and it was smooth and well worth it. They were very personal and helpful at every stage, kept us fully informed of the status at each step. Email is nnatali_2000@yahoo.com and Norma is the contact. They are located on AV MADERO #230-1 in Chapala across the street from the Chapala Market.
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