2021-05-10_How_to_Move_to_Mexico_and_Why_You_Should_Establish_Residency_Now_Not_Later
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00:00:30.000 | Welcome to Radical Personal Finance, a show dedicated to providing you with the knowledge,
00:00:33.000 | skills, insight, and encouragement you need to live a rich and meaningful life now while
00:00:38.000 | building a plan for financial freedom in 10 years or less. My name is Joshua Sheets. I'm
00:00:42.000 | your host, and today I'm here with Enrique Ramirez Corona. Did I get it right?
00:00:48.000 | That is correct, Joshua. Thank you very much.
00:00:50.000 | Welcome, welcome. So we're here today to talk about immigration to Mexico. On Radical Personal
00:00:57.000 | Finance, I talk quite a lot about internationalization, about the idea of moving to different places,
00:01:04.000 | going to different places to build the things that are best for you. And I wanted to invite
00:01:08.000 | you on to talk with me about the topic of immigrating into Mexico. I'm U.S. American.
00:01:14.000 | Many of my audience is from the United States of America and also from Canada, and I personally
00:01:19.000 | think that Mexico has a very bright future, especially in the coming decades, and I think
00:01:23.000 | a lot of people are going to be interested in moving to Mexico. So I'd like to talk with
00:01:27.000 | you about the process and just get some clarification on what to do, how to do it, how different
00:01:33.000 | people can move to Mexico and what that process is like. So how long have you been practicing
00:01:38.000 | immigration law in Mexico?
00:01:39.000 | Well, I have been practicing immigration law since 2004. I started working for a law firm
00:01:46.000 | here in San Miguel de Allende. I live in San Miguel de Allende, and there is where my
00:01:51.000 | law firm has its base. The name of my law firm is San Miguel Legal, and so I started
00:01:58.000 | to practice in 2004.
00:02:00.000 | Right. And there are lots of expats. San Miguel de Allende is a very popular destination for
00:02:06.000 | U.S. Americans, for Canadians, etc.
00:02:09.000 | That's right. I mean, we have a very big foreign community, most of them American and
00:02:15.000 | Canadian people, but for many other countries worldwide. So we have a bunch or a lot of
00:02:22.000 | people for other countries living and residing in San Miguel de Allende.
00:02:27.000 | Okay. So I have studied the immigration programs that a lot of countries have, and in my opinion,
00:02:33.000 | Mexico has an extremely open and simple immigration program. Mexico is very welcoming to immigrants.
00:02:40.000 | Do you think that's right?
00:02:41.000 | I think that is right, and I think that the Mexican government has been improving the
00:02:45.000 | law in order to try to make it easier for the foreign people to come to Mexico. They
00:02:51.000 | are especially one, obviously, that the people that is thinking to retire in Mexico, that
00:02:58.000 | is thinking to invest in Mexico. And from the past years, and I would say probably since
00:03:06.000 | 2012, Mexican government has been trying to make it easier and faster for people to become
00:03:14.000 | either temporary or permanent residents of Mexico.
00:03:18.000 | Okay. So let's pretend that I come to you and I say, "Enrique, I would like to move
00:03:23.000 | to Mexico. Tell me about the different ways that I, being a U.S. American, could actually
00:03:29.000 | move to Mexico."
00:03:31.000 | Okay. First, as you probably already know, as an American, you have the chance to come
00:03:36.000 | to Mexico initially if you want just as a tourist. There is not any, let's say, previous
00:03:42.000 | application that you need to do in order to get this tourist visa. You just need, when
00:03:47.000 | you cross the border, when you arrive to the airport, you will receive a tourist visa valid
00:03:52.000 | for up to 180 days. That's, let's say, the first option. However, if you want to become
00:03:59.000 | a temporary or a permanent resident, we have, let's say, several options. To become a
00:04:07.000 | temporary resident, you will need to start the process normally, and I will explain what
00:04:13.000 | I'm saying normally, out of Mexico, before a Mexican consulate, meaning that you will
00:04:21.000 | need to request an appointment with the Mexican consulate that is close to the place where
00:04:27.000 | you are living, out of Mexico. In order to become a temporary resident, you will need,
00:04:36.000 | you have some options. One is to prove that you receive Social Security or pension in
00:04:46.000 | a monthly average of $1,500.
00:04:51.000 | So, $1,500 U.S. dollars.
00:04:54.000 | U.S. dollars.
00:04:55.000 | If you have fixed income, a monthly pension, or a fixed payment of at least $1,500, the
00:05:02.000 | Mexican government says that's sufficient.
00:05:04.000 | That would be sufficient, and for that purposes, the Mexican consulate will require you to
00:05:09.000 | prove that you are having this income at least for the past six months.
00:05:14.000 | Okay.
00:05:15.000 | So, you will be required to bring your last six bank statements proving or showing that
00:05:20.000 | you have this income of $1,000 per Social Security or pension of $1,500.
00:05:27.000 | Now, is earned income sufficient, or does it need to be pension income?
00:05:32.000 | In this case, it needs to be pension income.
00:05:34.000 | Okay.
00:05:35.000 | Okay? We have another option in that regard, that is, if you have a monthly, an account,
00:05:44.000 | or an investment account where you are holding an average of around $32,000 per month, then
00:05:53.000 | the Mexican government will consider and will give you a temporary residency.
00:05:57.000 | In this case, you will need to show that you have had this average investment balance of
00:06:05.000 | $32,000 for the last 12 months.
00:06:09.000 | So, if I have an investment account or a bank account that for the last 12 months has had
00:06:15.000 | more than about $32,000, I can come and say to the Mexican government, "Look, I have enough
00:06:22.000 | money to support myself.
00:06:24.000 | I don't necessarily have any pension income, but I have enough money.
00:06:27.000 | I'm not going to be a burden on the Mexican government," and they'll give me a temporary
00:06:30.000 | residence visa.
00:06:31.000 | That is correct.
00:06:32.000 | Okay.
00:06:33.000 | And that's $32,000 for one person.
00:06:35.000 | For one person.
00:06:36.000 | And what if I'm married and a married couple?
00:06:38.000 | If you are married and the name of your wife appears also in your bank statements, they
00:06:44.000 | will consider that also for your wife.
00:06:47.000 | Okay.
00:06:48.000 | And children, does the number go up if I have children?
00:06:51.000 | Not really.
00:06:52.000 | It is not established in the law for that purpose, but what you can do is you can get
00:06:57.000 | temporary residency for you, for instance, and probably for your wife if she is part
00:07:02.000 | of the bank statements.
00:07:04.000 | And when you come to Mexico and you already get your official temporary residency card,
00:07:10.000 | you will be able to apply also for your children here in Mexico.
00:07:14.000 | Okay.
00:07:15.000 | In that case, you can start the process here in Mexico.
00:07:18.000 | Okay.
00:07:19.000 | So my audience, the audience for out-of-personal finance, tends to be fairly wealthy.
00:07:23.000 | So to me, this is the simplest option.
00:07:25.000 | Yes, there are people who are retired who are receiving Social Security income, but
00:07:30.000 | most, the vast majority of the members of my audience could simply bring a bank statement
00:07:35.000 | to the Mexican consulate and say, "Look, I have $32,000.
00:07:39.000 | I have $50,000.
00:07:40.000 | I have $100,000."
00:07:42.000 | And so it's my understanding that almost anyone, of course, I'm sure that there are
00:07:48.000 | some regulations, but just talking about normal people, almost anybody could go to the Mexican
00:07:53.000 | government, could bring bank statements or proof of wealth, and if they have at least,
00:07:58.000 | you're saying $32,000, something $30,000 to $40,000 or more, then they could be granted
00:08:05.000 | a residency permit in Mexico.
00:08:07.000 | Is that right?
00:08:08.000 | Well, in this case, you start basically as a temporary residency.
00:08:12.000 | That would be a temporary residency.
00:08:13.000 | Temporary residency.
00:08:14.000 | And so the process is that somebody needs to go to a Mexican consulate.
00:08:19.000 | The process is normally, well, there are some telephone numbers and also you can try to
00:08:26.000 | schedule your appointment with the Mexican consulate.
00:08:29.000 | At this time that we're speaking, it is a little bit complicated, especially in the
00:08:33.000 | United States because most of the Mexican consulates are closed or have very reduced
00:08:39.000 | hours.
00:08:40.000 | So it is a little bit complicated.
00:08:42.000 | So you can schedule your appointment by a call or you can also send an email and they
00:08:49.000 | will schedule or they will give you an appointment.
00:08:52.000 | Basically, in order to get to be able to apply for your Mexican, for your temporary residency,
00:09:00.000 | they will request to you your passport.
00:09:03.000 | They will request to you an additional US ID or Canadian ID.
00:09:09.000 | They will request that you fulfill a format with your personal information.
00:09:15.000 | Obviously, that you bring the bank statement that correspond either for pension or for
00:09:21.000 | this balance that you have in your account.
00:09:24.000 | And you will pay around $39 for each visa.
00:09:29.000 | With that, you should be able to get your temporary residency visa.
00:09:34.000 | And normally, the process takes something around an hour.
00:09:38.000 | Okay.
00:09:39.000 | So to review, we've talked about the ability for US Americans or Canadians and really,
00:09:47.000 | Mexico has a very open policy for tourists.
00:09:50.000 | The vast majority of my listeners can simply come to Mexico as tourists and spend often
00:09:56.000 | up to 180 days in Mexico as tourists.
00:09:59.000 | Correct.
00:10:00.000 | And then, well, of course, you wouldn't want to do it for many years.
00:10:02.000 | Many people will come to Mexico, spend 180 days.
00:10:06.000 | They'll leave somewhere, go somewhere else, come back and potentially be given another
00:10:11.000 | 180-day tourist visa.
00:10:13.000 | And some people, especially in the past, have done that for many years as a tourist.
00:10:17.000 | But if you want to become an official temporary resident of Mexico, and what that would mean
00:10:23.000 | is that you can stay here in Mexico for the duration of your temporary residence permit,
00:10:32.000 | which is usually the first time one year.
00:10:34.000 | That is correct.
00:10:35.000 | Right?
00:10:36.000 | Then you can apply for a temporary residence permit.
00:10:38.000 | To do that, the simplest way for most of my audience will be to get, I think in English
00:10:43.000 | would be called the person of means visa.
00:10:45.000 | Is that right?
00:10:46.000 | Correct.
00:10:47.000 | Which just simply says you go to the consulate in your country and you say, "Look, I have
00:10:52.000 | in excess of $32,000."
00:10:55.000 | More or less, it would change depending on the exchange rate.
00:10:58.000 | But you go and you say, "Look, I have $40,000 in a bank account or in an investment account."
00:11:04.000 | And they say, "Yes, we'll be happy to have you."
00:11:07.000 | They'll schedule an appointment with the local embassy through the official Mexican website.
00:11:13.000 | They'll bring their birth certificates, their bank records, marriage certificates sometimes,
00:11:19.000 | and forms of identification, their passport.
00:11:22.000 | They'll go pay a $39 fee to the local Mexican consulate, and they'll be given a visa to
00:11:27.000 | come to Mexico as a temporary resident.
00:11:30.000 | That is correct.
00:11:31.000 | What they are going to get is basically a visa stamped in their passport.
00:11:37.000 | This visa allows you to come to Mexico once within the next 180 days that you got that
00:11:44.000 | visa.
00:11:45.000 | Okay.
00:11:46.000 | It is very important that people understand that once that they come into Mexico, this
00:11:51.000 | is valid for one entry, as I mentioned, but once that they come into Mexico, they need
00:11:57.000 | to complete the process here before the local immigration authority.
00:12:01.000 | And they just have 30 days, starting from the day that they enter to Mexico, to start
00:12:07.000 | this process.
00:12:08.000 | The process is basically to request to the local immigration office to change the visa
00:12:16.000 | stamped in your passport for your official temporary residency card.
00:12:21.000 | Okay.
00:12:22.000 | Now, generally speaking, so that process is called the canje, right?
00:12:25.000 | The transfer process.
00:12:26.000 | That's called canje, correct.
00:12:28.000 | So then the individual could expect to receive a temporary resident card.
00:12:34.000 | That's good for one year?
00:12:35.500 | Yeah, the first time is going to be valid for one year.
00:12:38.000 | Okay.
00:12:39.000 | After that one year, you are going to be able to renew it for three more years.
00:12:45.000 | Okay.
00:12:46.000 | For a total of four years as a temporary.
00:12:49.000 | Okay.
00:12:50.000 | So, the temporary resident visa simply means that when the visa expires, when the physical
00:12:57.000 | date that's printed on the card expires, if you don't renew it, you will lose your ability
00:13:03.000 | to live in Mexico.
00:13:04.000 | But, you can live in Mexico with that temporary visa.
00:13:07.000 | Correct.
00:13:08.000 | All right.
00:13:09.000 | Even if, it's a little bit complex, but even if your card expired, but you are out of the
00:13:16.000 | country when it expired, you still have 60 days from the expiration date to come to Mexico
00:13:22.000 | legally with the same card and renew the card for the other three years.
00:13:28.000 | We have some other cases where if you are here in Mexico and the card expired, you still
00:13:34.000 | can renew your card.
00:13:36.000 | But, the problem is that you will need to bring to the immigration office, just in this
00:13:42.000 | case, all the documents to prove that you have, that you're receiving pension or social
00:13:48.000 | security for the amount that we already mentioned, or that you have this balance in your accounts.
00:13:54.000 | Right.
00:13:55.000 | Which is, which make it a little bit complicated.
00:13:58.000 | Right.
00:13:59.000 | Okay.
00:14:00.000 | So, a temporary resident visa gives you the right to live in Mexico without having to
00:14:07.000 | leave.
00:14:08.000 | Correct.
00:14:09.000 | So, you can spend all of your time in Mexico.
00:14:10.000 | But, it doesn't give you the right to get a job in Mexico, right?
00:14:14.000 | It doesn't give you the right to get a job in Mexico, but you have the chance to apply
00:14:20.000 | for it.
00:14:21.000 | Okay.
00:14:22.000 | Meaning, once that you have your temporary residency visa, you can request authorization
00:14:28.000 | to the local immigration office to work in something here in Mexico.
00:14:32.000 | Okay.
00:14:33.000 | So, if you found a job with a local person, if I were in San Miguel de Allende and Enrique
00:14:40.000 | says, "Joshua, I really need you to work for me," I could take a petition to the local
00:14:45.000 | government and apply for a work permit?
00:14:47.000 | Yes.
00:14:48.000 | In this case, this is another way that you can get your temporary residency.
00:14:51.000 | Let's say that a company in Mexico wants to retain your services.
00:14:55.000 | So, this company needs to be recorded before the immigration authority, and they are going
00:15:01.000 | to be, they are going to make an offer to work for you.
00:15:05.000 | They can submit this offer here before the local immigration authority, and they are
00:15:12.000 | going to get the authorization.
00:15:14.000 | With that authorization, they will send that authorization to you basically by email, and
00:15:19.000 | with that document, you can also ask for an appointment with the Mexican consulate and
00:15:26.000 | prove that you have been already authorized to work in Mexico.
00:15:30.000 | And as consequence, you can receive a temporary residency with permit to work directly.
00:15:36.000 | Perfect.
00:15:37.000 | Perfect.
00:15:38.000 | But let's say that you got it because you're balancing your account or because your social
00:15:45.000 | security or pension, you can also apply for that permit when you are in Mexico already
00:15:51.000 | living.
00:15:52.000 | Okay.
00:15:53.000 | So, the first temporary resident visa is issued for 12 months.
00:15:56.000 | 12 months.
00:15:57.000 | And then you go and you apply for a renewal, and they will probably renew it for three
00:16:03.000 | years.
00:16:04.000 | Based on the current criteria that they have, yes, they will renew it for three more years.
00:16:09.000 | Okay.
00:16:10.000 | Then, you have the ability to continue living in Mexico for those three years.
00:16:15.000 | You've now been in Mexico for four years.
00:16:18.000 | At this point in time, when that three-year visa is set to expire, you can go to the immigration
00:16:24.000 | office and you can ask to be given permanent residency status.
00:16:28.000 | Is that right?
00:16:29.000 | That's correct.
00:16:30.000 | By law, once you complete these four years as temporary residency, you will pass automatically
00:16:39.000 | to permanent resident.
00:16:41.000 | But yes, you will need to, at the expiration of the four year, you will need to go to the
00:16:48.000 | immigration office and request the change from temporary to permanent.
00:16:52.000 | Okay.
00:16:53.000 | So, you don't need to prove anything else other than you have been holding a temporary
00:16:59.000 | residency visa for four years.
00:17:02.000 | Absolutely.
00:17:03.000 | Once you're issued the permanent resident visa, now you don't have to renew it.
00:17:09.000 | You are a permanent resident, and you can live in Mexico for as long as you want.
00:17:14.000 | That's correct.
00:17:15.000 | Another advantage that you will have with the permanent residency visa is that, as you
00:17:20.000 | go to the immigration, you will not need to renew anymore.
00:17:23.000 | However, if you, for instance, change your address that you notified to the immigration
00:17:29.000 | office, you will need to inform to them that you changed your address or that you changed
00:17:33.000 | probably to your marital status.
00:17:35.000 | Okay.
00:17:36.000 | Those are the kind of things that you will need to notify.
00:17:38.000 | Also, as a permanent resident, you have the authorization to work in Mexico already.
00:17:46.000 | You don't need to request a permit to the immigration office.
00:17:49.000 | You just notify that you are doing or working in this or that.
00:17:53.000 | Absolutely.
00:17:54.000 | So, the important thing about Mexico that we haven't said yet is that, under Mexican
00:18:00.000 | law, there is not, in order to maintain a residency, there is not a specific physical
00:18:07.000 | presence requirement that somebody has to be in Mexico in order to maintain their residency,
00:18:13.000 | either a temporary residence or a permanent residence.
00:18:16.000 | Is that right?
00:18:17.000 | That is correct.
00:18:18.000 | The Mexican law does not establish any specific time that you need to spend in Mexico in order
00:18:24.000 | to continue having your temporary or permanent residency.
00:18:28.000 | So, you can spend a week, one month, or 12 months in Mexico, and you will have the same
00:18:35.000 | rights based on the visa that you have.
00:18:38.000 | Right.
00:18:39.000 | So, if somebody has the idea that, "I think I might want to move to Mexico full-time,"
00:18:46.000 | they can start the process whenever they're ready.
00:18:49.000 | They can go ahead, they can get their first visa, they can come to Mexico, be issued their
00:18:55.000 | temporary residency card.
00:18:57.000 | They don't have to be in Mexico for the next 12 months.
00:19:00.000 | They could come for a couple of weeks and then leave.
00:19:03.000 | They can come back one year later, renew for the three-year period.
00:19:07.000 | Correct.
00:19:08.000 | They don't have to be in Mexico for three years.
00:19:10.000 | They can go and come however fits them.
00:19:13.000 | And then once they have the permanent residency card, they don't have to stay in Mexico in
00:19:18.000 | order to maintain that residency card.
00:19:20.000 | They can come and go as they like.
00:19:23.000 | And under current law, that permanent residency is good for life, for the life of the person,
00:19:28.000 | although some states want you to come in every decade or so to take a new picture, right?
00:19:32.000 | That is correct.
00:19:33.000 | Okay.
00:19:34.000 | So, this is very important.
00:19:35.000 | This is why, for most U.S. Americans, I recommend Mexico so highly.
00:19:39.000 | I think that virtually every U.S. American who thinks they might want to live outside
00:19:44.000 | the United States should start by getting a residency permit in Mexico.
00:19:48.000 | It's a wonderful country.
00:19:49.000 | I find the Mexican culture very personally pleasing.
00:19:53.000 | I really enjoy it.
00:19:54.000 | It's a very warm Latin culture.
00:19:56.000 | There's a lot of cultural compatibility between Mexicans and U.S. Americans, especially if
00:20:02.000 | you have any kind of Latino heritage or have friends who are Latinos.
00:20:07.000 | There's a lot of compatibility.
00:20:09.000 | It's very easy to get to, and Mexico really offers virtually everything.
00:20:15.000 | In some corner of the country, if you want the big city, you can live in Mexico City
00:20:19.000 | and have all of the global city advantages.
00:20:22.000 | If you want a small town by the beach, that's there.
00:20:24.000 | If you want a resort town, it's really wonderful.
00:20:27.000 | But the opportunity for someone to have this as a place that they can go to live, that
00:20:32.000 | they can retire, and not to have to maintain those physical presence requirements is really
00:20:37.000 | powerful, and especially once someone gets to that permanent residence.
00:20:41.000 | This is why it's so attractive.
00:20:42.000 | For example, Canada, if you become a permanent resident in Canada, you have to physically
00:20:47.000 | be present in Canada for two years out of every five in order to maintain your residency
00:20:53.000 | visa.
00:20:55.000 | For somebody who lives full-time in Canada, that's wonderful.
00:20:59.000 | For somebody who goes to Canada regularly and wants to maintain their residency, that
00:21:03.000 | can be difficult if they're maintaining a job somewhere else.
00:21:06.000 | But the Mexican system is much more generous, and I think it's a wonderful system.
00:21:10.000 | - Yes, I think that, well, since Mexican law does not require to be present in Mexico to
00:21:16.000 | continue having or enjoying your temporary or permanent residency, it allows you or allows
00:21:22.000 | the people that they can start this process early, and then they can determine if they
00:21:27.000 | really want to move to Mexico or not, or how many time they want to spend in each country.
00:21:33.000 | My only comment in that regard is as far as I understand for Canadian people is that
00:21:38.000 | normally my clients that are Canadian, they don't want to become permanent because I
00:21:43.000 | understand that if they become permanent, they will lose the health benefits that the
00:21:48.000 | Canadian government grant to them.
00:21:50.000 | So in that case, when they complete or they get or arrive to the fourth year, what they
00:21:57.000 | do is they're released about the temporary residency, and they need to start the process
00:22:03.000 | again for year number one.
00:22:05.000 | - Right, absolutely.
00:22:06.000 | Yeah, with immigration planning, you always need to think about the country that you're
00:22:10.000 | going to and the country that you're coming from.
00:22:12.000 | - Correct.
00:22:13.000 | - And there is planning with regard to the country you're going to, and there is planning
00:22:16.000 | with regard to the country you're going from, and that will be unique for each particular
00:22:20.000 | country and each particular person.
00:22:22.000 | Now, is there a way that a U.S. American or a Canadian or a German citizen can become
00:22:29.000 | also a citizen of Mexico using this process?
00:22:32.000 | - For sure.
00:22:34.000 | When you start your process and you get your temporary residency, as we mentioned, after
00:22:39.000 | four years, you are going to become permanent resident.
00:22:43.000 | At that moment and after two years as permanent resident, you have the chance to apply to
00:22:50.000 | become Mexican.
00:22:53.000 | In that case, the only, let's say, in this case, the law already established in that
00:22:59.000 | regard that if you want to become Mexican, you cannot be out of Mexico for more than
00:23:05.000 | six months in the last two years before you applied for the Mexican citizenship.
00:23:15.000 | Meaning, if today you become permanent, 2021, on May 23, you are going to be eligible to
00:23:24.000 | become Mexican.
00:23:26.000 | But in these two years, you should not be out of Mexico more than six months.
00:23:30.000 | - Right.
00:23:31.000 | - So, you don't have to have physical presence in Mexico to maintain your permanent residence
00:23:39.000 | permit.
00:23:40.000 | But when and if you go to apply for Mexican citizenship, then during the two years before
00:23:48.000 | that application, you must have been physically present in Mexico for more than six months
00:23:55.000 | each year for those two years.
00:23:58.000 | Well, you cannot be out of Mexico more than six months in both years.
00:24:05.000 | Meaning, you need to stay in Mexico at least 18 months in those two years.
00:24:10.000 | - Absolutely.
00:24:11.000 | So, actually, not absolutely.
00:24:15.000 | Clarify what you said again.
00:24:16.000 | You need to not have...
00:24:17.000 | What's the distinction between what you're saying and what I'm saying?
00:24:20.000 | - Yeah, I think the distinction is that in the previous two years before you applied
00:24:25.000 | to become Mexican, you cannot stay out of Mexico more than six months.
00:24:31.000 | - I see.
00:24:32.000 | Six months out of the 24-month period.
00:24:34.000 | - Correct.
00:24:35.000 | - I see.
00:24:36.000 | Okay.
00:24:37.000 | So, if on January 1, I enter Mexico, and then we go through the full 12 months, and then
00:24:43.000 | the next 12 months to December 31, I need to have been inside Mexico for at least 18
00:24:51.000 | out of those 24 months.
00:24:53.000 | - Correct.
00:24:54.000 | - Okay.
00:24:55.000 | Then, if that is satisfied, I can go to the Mexican government, and I can apply for Mexican
00:25:02.000 | citizenship.
00:25:03.000 | - That's correct.
00:25:04.000 | - There will be a language test?
00:25:06.000 | Is there a Spanish language test?
00:25:08.000 | - It depends on your age.
00:25:09.000 | But, yes, normally, there is a language test.
00:25:12.000 | So, they want to verify that you at least can have a conversation in Spanish.
00:25:17.000 | It is not that you are 100% bilingual, but that you can...
00:25:21.000 | - So, maybe a B1 level of language, something like that.
00:25:23.000 | - I would say something like that.
00:25:24.000 | - Okay.
00:25:25.000 | - There is going to be a test for history of Mexico, and the rest is going to be paperwork
00:25:30.000 | that you will need to...
00:25:31.000 | - Okay.
00:25:32.000 | - That we will need to produce and submit in order to be able to start your process.
00:25:36.000 | - Is there a criminal background check, an FBI report?
00:25:39.000 | - Among others, you will need, for instance, obviously, your passport, your birth certificate
00:25:44.000 | with an apostille, your permanent residency card.
00:25:50.000 | We will need to show through a report that the immigration office is going to provide
00:25:55.000 | us that you have not been out of Mexico in the past two years for more than six months.
00:26:02.000 | There is a local criminal record, okay, saying, obviously, that you don't have any criminal
00:26:08.000 | records.
00:26:09.000 | - Local in Mexico?
00:26:10.000 | So, if I'm living in...
00:26:11.000 | - Meaning, local from the state where you are living or you are going to apply for the
00:26:16.000 | Mexican citizenship.
00:26:17.000 | And then, there is no criminal records for the country.
00:26:22.000 | These criminal records for the country, you can just get it in Mexico City, okay?
00:26:27.000 | And after that, you fulfill some applications, and that's...you make a payment, and that's
00:26:33.000 | pretty much the documents that you will need to require...you will need to meet in order
00:26:38.000 | to apply for your Mexican citizenship.
00:26:40.000 | - Right.
00:26:41.000 | - And I personally think, it's my opinion, that a Mexican citizenship is an extraordinarily
00:26:47.000 | valuable citizenship for somebody to have.
00:26:50.000 | The Mexican passport as a travel document is a very powerful travel document.
00:26:55.000 | The only country in the world that the Mexican travel document doesn't work for as easily
00:27:01.000 | as some other countries is the United States.
00:27:03.000 | - Right.
00:27:04.000 | - Which is frustrating for many Mexicans, but that's the only...well, I don't know if
00:27:08.000 | it's frustrating.
00:27:09.000 | That's the only country in the world that looks at a Mexican passport and doesn't give
00:27:14.000 | it Tier A access.
00:27:17.000 | That is an advantage to, for example, Canadians can come to the United States without a visa.
00:27:23.000 | A German citizen can come to the United States using the electronic travel authorization
00:27:28.000 | system, but a Mexican citizen needs to apply for a visa to travel to the United States.
00:27:32.000 | - Correct.
00:27:33.000 | - But with the exception of the United States, a Mexican passport is a powerful document
00:27:38.000 | can vis-a-vis travel to so many countries of the world, visa-free access to Europe,
00:27:43.000 | and it simply doesn't have a lot of the baggage, a lot of the difficult things that,
00:27:48.000 | example, a U.S. American passport can bring with it.
00:27:50.000 | It's a very neutral country.
00:27:52.000 | I think, in my opinion, Mexico is not generally regarded as...it's a very neutral country.
00:27:57.000 | It's a very powerful citizenship to have.
00:27:59.000 | - Yeah, I agree with you in that regard.
00:28:01.000 | I think that Mexican passport is very powerful, and in my experience that I have been working
00:28:06.000 | with foreign people for many years, a lot of them wants to become a Mexican citizen
00:28:13.000 | because they...obviously, they feel in love with the country, they feel comfortable living
00:28:18.000 | here, and they find convenient also for themselves to have a Mexican passport.
00:28:23.000 | - Absolutely.
00:28:24.000 | And Mexico does not have mandatory military service for your children, like some countries do.
00:28:30.000 | Mexico does impose taxes on Mexican residents living here, but if a Mexican citizen were
00:28:37.000 | to move back to Canada or back to the United States, then they can become non-tax resident
00:28:44.000 | in Mexico.
00:28:45.000 | - That is correct.
00:28:46.000 | - Mexico is not...it's not a particularly overbearing country.
00:28:52.000 | They don't impose a lot of regulations on their citizens abroad.
00:28:55.000 | It's a really wonderful place, and it's just a wonderful city, wonderful country to live
00:29:00.000 | in with many options.
00:29:03.000 | Is there any place...are there any things that people who are working with you for immigration,
00:29:09.000 | are there any questions that people ask that we haven't covered, or any mistakes that people
00:29:12.000 | frequently make?
00:29:14.000 | - Well, I think that one...I would like to mention another way to get the temporary residency,
00:29:19.000 | if that works for you.
00:29:22.000 | If you're ready...sometimes people cannot...either they don't have the income for pension or
00:29:30.000 | Social Security required, or they don't have this balance in their account, but they already
00:29:35.000 | own a property in Mexico.
00:29:37.000 | So if you already own a property in Mexico, you can also apply and get a temporary residency
00:29:43.000 | card.
00:29:44.000 | The only condition in that regard is that your property worth something around $200,000
00:29:50.000 | or 3.8 million pesos.
00:29:53.000 | If you can have copy of your deed or title of your property to the consulate, and you
00:29:58.000 | show that your property worth that amount, then they will also grant to you a temporary
00:30:03.000 | residency.
00:30:05.000 | If you are already in Mexico, and let's say that your wife already hold a temporary or
00:30:14.000 | permanent residency, you are also...you will be entitled to receive her and start your
00:30:21.000 | process directly in Mexico.
00:30:22.000 | For that purpose, you will need to prove that you are married.
00:30:28.000 | You will need your marriage certificate with the apostille, but that will allow you to
00:30:32.000 | start your process here in Mexico.
00:30:34.000 | Also, same for your children.
00:30:36.000 | - Right.
00:30:37.000 | - And if you have a Mexican child, you can stay here as a tourist, and if your child
00:30:47.000 | is born in Mexico, then you are allowed to get...you will get in this case, directly
00:30:53.000 | in Mexico, the permanent residency.
00:30:55.000 | - Absolutely.
00:30:56.000 | So I'm glad you brought that up because that was going to be my next comment.
00:31:00.000 | Mexico is a Jus Sali country, which means that all children who are born in the sovereign
00:31:09.000 | territory of Mexico are, by birth, Mexican.
00:31:13.000 | - Correct.
00:31:14.000 | - So if my wife were pregnant and we gave birth to a child in Mexican territory, that
00:31:20.000 | child would automatically qualify for Mexican citizenship from birth.
00:31:24.000 | - Yes.
00:31:25.000 | - Now, in addition, Mexico follows the doctrine of family reunification.
00:31:29.000 | They want families to be together.
00:31:31.000 | - That is absolutely correct.
00:31:33.000 | - So if I have a Mexican child, I can then go to...as the parent of a Mexican child,
00:31:38.000 | I can go to the Mexican government and I can request a permanent resident visa from the
00:31:43.000 | Mexican government, and in virtually all circumstances, it should be granted to my wife and to me
00:31:50.000 | and to our siblings and to our other children, right?
00:31:53.000 | - That is correct.
00:31:54.000 | - Okay.
00:31:55.000 | Now, is there then a pathway to citizenship if I have that permanent residency visa?
00:32:00.000 | Is it still two years?
00:32:02.000 | - It is still two years.
00:32:03.000 | - Okay.
00:32:04.000 | - Once you get your permanent residency, two years, and you can start the process to become
00:32:10.000 | Mexican.
00:32:11.000 | - Right.
00:32:12.000 | So this is, I think, a powerful option.
00:32:14.000 | My family and I, we have done birth tourism, and with my experience doing that, I think
00:32:20.000 | it's a really tremendous way to open up new opportunities for your children to give them
00:32:26.000 | access to the Mexican markets as a citizen, legally able to work, go to school in Mexico.
00:32:32.000 | For example, I have had Mexican doctors in various parts of the world.
00:32:37.000 | Mexico has a lot of medical schools, and they're paid for by the government.
00:32:42.000 | And so somebody can go to Mexican medical school and become a doctor for just a cost
00:32:48.000 | of some books and things like that.
00:32:50.000 | The tuition is covered.
00:32:52.000 | And that's a powerful option and well-respected in many parts of the world, the Mexican doctors
00:32:57.000 | are.
00:32:58.000 | And so it's a powerful option, and it also can be a good benefit for me as the parent
00:33:04.000 | of a Mexican child to have the option now to live in Mexico, to have that permanent
00:33:08.000 | residency visa, and to go in other places.
00:33:11.000 | And back to kind of those options, there are many people who will go and do birth tourism
00:33:15.000 | in countries like Canada or the United States.
00:33:18.000 | And no question, there can be benefits to that, right?
00:33:20.000 | There are many people who want their children to be Canadian or U.S. American.
00:33:24.000 | But if you are already Canadian or U.S. American, there's very little benefit to your child
00:33:30.000 | being born inside of Canada or the United States, and there could be a lot of benefit
00:33:34.000 | for your child being born in Mexico.
00:33:36.000 | And again, with the physical proximity, the fact that a Canadian or U.S. American can
00:33:40.000 | drive to Mexico, that makes things a lot easier.
00:33:45.000 | And then even just in terms of the high quality of medical care at a low cost, it's a really
00:33:49.000 | great option because, you know, I've known people who have gone to Mexico because they
00:33:53.000 | didn't have insurance, health insurance, and they had a C-section.
00:33:57.000 | And if you have a C-section delivery of a child in Mexico, the cost may be something
00:34:02.000 | like a few thousand U.S. dollars, 3,000 U.S. dollars, instead of 15,000 or 30,000 U.S.
00:34:08.000 | dollars like it is sometimes in the United States.
00:34:11.000 | And so it can really be a good option that I think people should consider.
00:34:15.000 | I've recommended to many people if they're having a baby, you should think about having
00:34:18.000 | a baby in Mexico.
00:34:19.000 | - Yeah, well, I think that we have a great health services here in Mexico.
00:34:25.000 | We cannot complain about the quality of the hospitals and medicals and doctors.
00:34:30.000 | And the amount that you are going to pay compared with the United States or Canada is going
00:34:36.000 | to be a big difference.
00:34:39.000 | So for sure, it's a great advantage for them.
00:34:42.000 | And in addition, as you explained very well, they are going to have the chance to become
00:34:47.000 | permanent since their child is going to be born in Mexico.
00:34:51.000 | - Right, right.
00:34:52.000 | Now, the last thing is, from my observation, Mexico seems to be very open to people who
00:34:57.000 | are fleeing persecution, who are seeking asylum.
00:35:02.000 | And in the airport itself, right, as you're coming through immigration, the Mexican Immigration
00:35:07.000 | Department puts a big sign that says, "If you're in danger in your home country, you
00:35:13.000 | should come and ask us for help."
00:35:17.000 | And the Mexican government promises to hear your case.
00:35:20.000 | They promise that you can come to them and ask for help regardless of your immigration
00:35:24.000 | status, regardless of whether you're here on a visa or if your visa has lapsed.
00:35:30.000 | And they even promise free legal aid for people who are coming and applying for a status.
00:35:35.000 | So for somebody who is facing some kind of persecution, I think Mexico should also be
00:35:39.000 | very seriously considered.
00:35:42.000 | - Yes, Mexico...
00:35:45.000 | As Mexicans, we understand that it's very important to take care of all the people that
00:35:49.000 | is coming from other countries since even where the Mexican people normally tries to
00:35:56.000 | come to the United States, many times as illegals.
00:36:00.000 | So we understand very well that part, and that's why the Mexican government create a
00:36:04.000 | special authority and a special place where all these people can come and start this process.
00:36:10.000 | It is very interesting.
00:36:12.000 | The process is not very fast.
00:36:15.000 | It could take between one year and one year and a half.
00:36:20.000 | But as soon as they submit this or they start this process in Mexico, they are going to
00:36:25.000 | be eligible to get a humanitarian visa.
00:36:29.000 | And with this visa, they will be considered legally...
00:36:33.000 | They are going to be legal in Mexico, and they are going to have the chance to even
00:36:38.000 | get the authorization to work in Mexico while they start the final ruling from this authority
00:36:45.000 | in regard to their immigration situation.
00:36:48.000 | So I think that this is also a big advantage for people that consider or needs this kind
00:36:53.000 | of help.
00:36:54.000 | Absolutely.
00:36:55.000 | And the last question I have is Latin American bureaucracy is legendary.
00:37:03.000 | One of the challenges of doing business in Latin America is that the law will often say
00:37:12.000 | this is what's expected, but the reality is often very different.
00:37:16.000 | It's the same in the United States of America.
00:37:18.000 | I have friends who have followed every law of immigration law in the United States and
00:37:26.000 | have been waiting for five, six years in some cases just for an answer from the government
00:37:30.000 | on a very simple scenario.
00:37:32.000 | So I'm not throwing blame on anybody.
00:37:35.000 | But how would you...
00:37:36.000 | When you say these timelines, the biggest question is, are these actually realistic?
00:37:41.000 | So if you say, yes, you can come and do this, are these timelines realistic that you can
00:37:47.000 | actually get answers quickly from the U.S. government?
00:37:49.000 | You can get business done...
00:37:50.000 | Sorry, from the Mexican government, or you can get business done quickly, or do we have
00:37:55.000 | to deal with delays of weeks and weeks and months and months and months to get an answer
00:37:58.000 | from the immigration department?
00:38:00.000 | Nope.
00:38:01.000 | I mean, as I mentioned before to you, the immigration authority, the federal government
00:38:05.000 | has tried to make it as simple as possible for all foreign people.
00:38:10.000 | What they are trying to do is that people come and invest in Mexico, that you come and
00:38:15.000 | live in Mexico, because obviously that way you are going to spend also money in Mexico.
00:38:19.000 | Absolutely.
00:38:20.000 | So it's important for Mexican government.
00:38:22.000 | I can tell you that I cannot speak for all the immigration offices in Mexico, but at
00:38:29.000 | least the ones that we work here in the state of Guanajuato, Querétaro, for instance, that
00:38:33.000 | are the closer ones to us.
00:38:35.000 | If we start your process for the canje that you mentioned to change your visa and your
00:38:40.000 | passport for your official card, I can tell you that it's going to take a couple of days
00:38:45.000 | to get it.
00:38:46.000 | Remarkable.
00:38:47.000 | Yeah.
00:38:48.000 | So obviously, provided that we submit all the necessary paperwork and documents.
00:38:53.000 | Exactly.
00:38:54.000 | So a couple of days and you are going to have your card.
00:38:56.000 | Same when you need to renew it.
00:38:58.000 | Obviously, if your card expired and we need to bring additional documents, it's going
00:39:03.000 | to take a little bit more.
00:39:05.000 | But in general terms, I will say that you can consider between three and five business
00:39:13.000 | days to get your card and have everything ready.
00:39:16.000 | Okay.
00:39:17.000 | Yeah.
00:39:18.000 | So I would just give, you don't have to listen to my kind of closing charge, but I would
00:39:24.000 | say this.
00:39:26.000 | I honestly believe that for virtually, especially any US American and probably Canadian, Mexico
00:39:34.000 | should be very high on your list.
00:39:37.000 | If not, the number one option should be very high on your list in terms of places to go
00:39:43.000 | to have a second residency to start that process going.
00:39:48.000 | Mexico often does not get the press that some other residency programs get.
00:39:52.000 | For example, Panama gets far more press for their program, their friendly nations visa
00:39:57.000 | program.
00:39:58.000 | But when I compare the two, Mexico is far better than Panama and Mexico has far more
00:40:04.000 | options.
00:40:05.000 | I like Panama City, but basically if you want to live in Panama, you have the choice of
00:40:10.000 | either Panama City or what's the town?
00:40:14.000 | There's a retiree town that's a little bit higher, Boquete, Panama, or you have these
00:40:18.000 | little beach towns, right?
00:40:20.000 | It doesn't have the size or the diversity that a place like Mexico has.
00:40:24.000 | Mexico has almost everything to offer.
00:40:27.000 | It's a huge country with 31 states, I think, here in Mexico.
00:40:31.000 | That's correct.
00:40:32.000 | 31 states here in Mexico with tremendous diversity, biodiversity, economic diversity.
00:40:36.000 | It's an economic powerhouse.
00:40:38.000 | And yet Mexico has this incredibly generous program that costs virtually nothing to get
00:40:44.000 | started.
00:40:45.000 | A $39 visa plus some attorney fees, which we'll talk about in a moment if you work with
00:40:48.000 | an attorney.
00:40:49.000 | You don't have to work with an attorney.
00:40:50.000 | You can do it yourself.
00:40:52.000 | But it's a much lower cost program.
00:40:55.000 | Like Panama, if we compare it, for example, to the Panama Friendly Nations Visa, Panama
00:41:00.000 | requires you to work with an attorney there.
00:41:04.000 | You have to go to Panama.
00:41:05.000 | You have to start a Panamanian company that you may or may not use.
00:41:08.000 | You have to put money in the bank that you may or may not want in a Panamanian bank.
00:41:12.000 | Mexico doesn't have any of these requirements.
00:41:15.000 | And the Panamanian attorney fees, especially for English-speaking attorneys, are often
00:41:20.000 | extremely high.
00:41:22.000 | And that's money that you don't get back.
00:41:25.000 | Panama, it's hard to drive to.
00:41:27.000 | You can drive there from the United States barely, but you've got to go through six borders
00:41:31.000 | on the way, whereas Mexico is one border.
00:41:33.000 | And so I just don't understand, having spent a lot of time thinking and researching and
00:41:38.000 | working through these options, I understand why U.S. Americans go to Canada.
00:41:42.000 | I've had Canadian immigration consultants on the show, and I think there's a lot of
00:41:45.000 | benefits there to go in the direction of Canadian immigration.
00:41:49.000 | But Canada has some unique benefits and some unique drawbacks.
00:41:52.000 | And Mexico has a lot more benefits and far fewer drawbacks.
00:41:58.000 | Mexico is not a tax haven.
00:42:01.000 | You're not going to go to Mexico and save tons of money on your income taxes like you
00:42:05.000 | could potentially do in Panama.
00:42:07.000 | So that's something you do want to take into account.
00:42:09.000 | But depending on your earnings and depending on how your affairs are structured, with good
00:42:13.000 | tax planning, Mexico has just a lot to offer.
00:42:17.000 | Am I wrong?
00:42:18.000 | No, you are completely correct.
00:42:19.000 | I think that Mexico, as I mentioned several times now, is doing all that we can in order
00:42:26.000 | to try to welcome any foreign people that is coming to Mexico and that want to live
00:42:32.000 | or invest in Mexico.
00:42:34.000 | The Mexican government tries to give all kinds of facilities so you can spend time in Mexico,
00:42:39.000 | so you invest in Mexico, so you live in Mexico.
00:42:43.000 | So as you mentioned, you can drive from the United States to Mexico pretty easy.
00:42:49.000 | In that regard, and that's important that you know, as a temporary, you have the chance
00:42:55.000 | to drive completely legal and keep for all the time that you are a temporary residency
00:43:00.000 | your car with U.S. plates in Mexico.
00:43:02.000 | Once that you become permanent resident, you are not allowed to drive a car with U.S.
00:43:07.000 | plates in Mexico.
00:43:08.000 | You will need to either return your car or sell it.
00:43:11.000 | So that's, let's say, one advantage also that you can bring your car without any problem
00:43:16.000 | and it's going to be legal as far as you are legal in the country.
00:43:20.000 | Additionally, also you have this chance to bring your personal belongings if you want.
00:43:25.000 | You are going to be free of any taxes if you can prove that this is yours, your personal,
00:43:30.000 | this is my personal belongings that I used to have in my house in the United States or
00:43:35.000 | in Canada, I want to bring to Mexico or to ship to Mexico and all those personal belongings
00:43:40.000 | will come into Mexico free of any taxes.
00:43:43.000 | Right, right.
00:43:45.000 | I think it's a wonderful program and my encouragement is don't wait.
00:43:51.000 | In the world of immigration law, things change.
00:43:54.000 | I honestly, personally, I think that the Mexican lack of physical presence requirements is
00:43:59.000 | probably too generous.
00:44:01.000 | I think they'll probably change that law myself just because I think that as more and more
00:44:06.000 | people, especially many US Americans, are looking to have other options, I think in
00:44:10.000 | time the Mexican government may face pressure to change that.
00:44:13.000 | I hope they don't but if you're interested in other residency programs, you should not
00:44:18.000 | wait because laws change all the time.
00:44:21.000 | Correct.
00:44:22.000 | But in terms of the future of a country, I personally believe that one of the metrics
00:44:27.000 | that you can use to judge the future of a country is based upon how easy is that country
00:44:33.000 | to get into, whether that's to come in as a tourist or whether it's to come in as a
00:44:39.000 | resident and to immigrate.
00:44:42.000 | I think that you can tell a lot about a country by the way that they treat people that want
00:44:47.000 | to come in their borders.
00:44:49.000 | Countries that have stringent border guards where they say, ask lots of questions, are
00:44:54.000 | very invasive, I think it reflects the culture and the culture being an anti-immigrant culture
00:45:00.000 | is a culture that doesn't understand that the value of a country is based upon its people.
00:45:06.000 | The thing that makes a country work is its people and a country that's welcoming to people
00:45:12.000 | is a country that I think you can see other signs of growth and opportunity.
00:45:17.000 | So I personally, that's one of the metrics that I use to judge Mexico and say, I think
00:45:21.000 | that Mexico has a very bright future because you can see very clearly with simply a huge
00:45:26.000 | sign in the airport by the Mexican immigration authorities saying, it doesn't matter your
00:45:32.000 | legal status, you can always seek asylum in Mexico.
00:45:36.000 | That says a lot about the culture of a country.
00:45:39.000 | Now there can be problems with assimilation and so cultures always have to deal with,
00:45:44.000 | okay we're welcoming these immigrants but are they able to assimilate into the country.
00:45:48.000 | But Mexico is such a big country that I think that they can handle many more immigrants
00:45:54.000 | than much smaller countries can.
00:45:56.000 | And so I think that Mexico is going to have a wonderful next couple of decades, is my opinion.
00:46:02.000 | - Thank you very much.
00:46:03.000 | We appreciate that words and I'm pretty sure as you mentioned, we receive everything,
00:46:08.000 | everyone in Mexico, we try to be very polite with everyone in Mexico.
00:46:13.000 | And I think that's one of the reasons that there are a lot of big foreign communities
00:46:19.000 | in Mexico just like in San Miguel de Allende, Ajijic, Querétaro or many other places in Mexico.
00:46:26.000 | You can, Mexico is really big and we have a lot of different states, different areas
00:46:33.000 | that you can choose whatever you want from living in a small city such as San Miguel
00:46:39.000 | but with a big infrastructure or living in a big city like Querétaro that was one of the,
00:46:47.000 | that was the state that grow more in the last year or 2019 in North America Latin
00:46:55.000 | or you can live in the beach or you can enjoy, you know, any, a lot of places in Mexico.
00:47:01.000 | You'll always be welcome in Mexico.
00:47:03.000 | - Absolutely.
00:47:04.000 | Okay, Enrique, your website is sanmiguel-legal.com.
00:47:09.000 | So sanmiguel-legal.com, I'll make sure to leave that information.
00:47:14.000 | You will work with people and help facilitate all of the immigration options for them.
00:47:20.000 | It's not required that somebody who wants to immigrate to Mexico work with a lawyer.
00:47:26.000 | You can do it yourself.
00:47:28.000 | What I would say is having done immigration processes myself,
00:47:33.000 | I have promised myself that I won't do it anymore from now on.
00:47:36.000 | I will simply hire lawyers to do the immigration process myself.
00:47:39.000 | I've tried to save money and I've tried to do it all myself
00:47:43.000 | and it's just simply not worth it in my opinion.
00:47:47.000 | So about how much does your law firm charge to work with people on these types of immigration processes that we've talked about?
00:47:57.000 | - Okay, it will depend of the application that we are doing, but it normally goes from,
00:48:03.000 | I'm going to speak in U.S. dollars, it goes from $500 to $750 U.S. dollars.
00:48:09.000 | - Right, per person.
00:48:10.000 | - Per person.
00:48:11.000 | - Per person.
00:48:12.000 | - We guide you through the whole process, meaning even if you are just thinking that you want to come to Mexico
00:48:19.000 | and you want to apply for this temporary or permanent residency,
00:48:23.000 | we will guide you through all the process.
00:48:25.000 | We can be in contact either by email, by submitting, so whatever you feel more comfortable.
00:48:31.000 | We are going to make sure that you understand the process.
00:48:35.000 | When you come to Mexico, we will have pretty much everything ready just to collect your signatures
00:48:41.000 | and be able to submit your application to the local immigration office as soon as possible
00:48:47.000 | and to complete your process within the next couple of days so you can just enjoy Mexico.
00:48:52.000 | - Absolutely.
00:48:53.000 | So your email address, and again I'll link it in the show notes, but it's Enrique,
00:48:58.000 | E-N-R-I-Q-U-E, Enrique@SanMiguel-Legal.com.
00:49:05.000 | - That is correct.
00:49:06.000 | - People can email you directly and probably somewhere in the range of $500 to $750 per person for your fees.
00:49:13.000 | The Mexican government simply has a $39 visa fee, and there may be other modest charges here and there, but it's not a lot.
00:49:22.000 | - Yeah, when you request the canje that we mentioned, meaning the change from your visa for your official card,
00:49:27.000 | there is an additional payment that you need to make to the local immigration office.
00:49:32.000 | - And about how much that is?
00:49:33.000 | - For a temporary residency is around at this moment $220, and for permanent residency it is around $350.
00:49:46.000 | - Okay.
00:49:47.000 | So something around $1,000, more or less, about $1,000 per person, somebody could establish temporary residence in Mexico.
00:49:55.000 | - Yes.
00:49:56.000 | - Fair enough.
00:49:57.000 | - Yeah, but you were, as I mentioned, we're going to guide you through the whole process from the beginning
00:50:01.000 | through the moment that you have your card in your hands.
00:50:03.000 | - And it can be as simple as somebody just simply comes to San Miguel de Allende,
00:50:07.000 | they come for a week, week and a half, two weeks, you can handle the process, they can enjoy a vacation,
00:50:13.000 | go with you and your staff to the government offices, and then they have their documents, everything's in order.
00:50:18.000 | - Yeah, we will take care of everything.
00:50:20.000 | You will just need to come once to my office to sign the applications and documents,
00:50:25.000 | and then once to the immigration office, but we will take care of the rest.
00:50:29.000 | - Awesome.
00:50:30.000 | I promise that's the best $1,000 you're going to spend versus doing it yourself.
00:50:34.000 | Even as a fluent Spanish speaker myself, I don't have any problem doing it, but navigating,
00:50:39.000 | okay, I go here, then I go this, and okay, what's the tramite here, and where do I go,
00:50:43.000 | it can be difficult and a lawyer smooths everything.
00:50:46.000 | Enrique, thank you so much.
00:50:47.000 | - Thank you very much.
00:50:48.000 | You're a self-pleasure.