Moving to Mexico Advice Please

[vicki]

Hi,
In June I will be moving to Mexico City permanently to be with my boyfriend of 5 years who is Mexican. I was wondering what is the quickest and easiest way to move to Mexico and start working? SHould I apply for citizenship or go in as a tourist and apply for a workers visa once there? I've heard its easier to go in as a tourist because you have up to 6 months in Mexico. Within those 6 months you can look for an employer who will write a letter of intention to hire you. With that letter you can get a workers visa much easier than applying for one in Canada. My boyfriend and I may get married within a couple years. Would that make me an automatic citizen then? What do I do till that point if I want to stay in Mexico and work there? Any tips or advice would be great! I appreciate your help!

[Guy Courchesne]

Your work visa will first be dependent on what it is you are qualified to do...can you shed more light on that?

I have experience in bringing Canadians to Mexico as English teachers, if that helps at all.

Visas related to marrying Mexicans are not related to work visas, though the two do come together at some point down the road...two years after you marry. You do not gain automatic citizenship after marrying..that takes at minimum two years after marrying but more likely 5 years.

[vicki]

I have a degree in International Development. For the past year, I have been working as a development consultant with Canadian aboriginal communities. I have worked with various Non-governmental organizations in the past 5 years. I would prefer to work for an American or Canadian organization that deals in some way with alleviating poverty (be that educational, dealing with food or housing issues, human rights, health etc...). I prefer an American or Canadian organization as I suppose the pay would be better in dollars than in pesos. However, I am more than willing to work with any good organization. I would also really like the opportunity to keep working with aboriginal people. I have also already lived in Mexico for 7 months as en English teacher to business executives. I wouldn't mind teaching English initially part-time if that would make it easier for me to come to Mexico, but that is not my long term goal and I think I would prefer to work with children or young adults.
Would you have any suggestions as to what my best plan of action should be? Currently, I was thinking I should just move to Mexico as a tourist (I have 7 months right?). Within that time look for organizations that might hire me and apply for a work visa in Mexico. Is this a good plan?

[Guy Courchesne]

I would strongly suggest getting things in order before you come back to Mexico. Mexico can be touchy about foreign organizations working here, especially if there is a political angle to the group you work with. You'll want your visa in order before arriving.

Two orgainzations you can check in with are the Volunteer Service Organization (based out of the UK, I think) and Amnesty International.

You could also look into United Nations programs such as UNICEF or UNESCO, or Habitat for Humanity.

I would avoid volunteer organizations that ask you to pay anything to have you volunteer. There are a number of such groups operating in Mexico, particularly on eco-projects.

[kyle12345]

Hello,

I'm from Toronto, and my girlfriend is Mexican living in Mexico city, I was just visiting her a few weeks ago, i liked the city. I would love to live with my gf in Mexico city. I don't want to lose my Canadian citizenship though. I wanted to try out Mexico for 3-6 months to see how i like it. I'm a website marketer and designer so i can do my work virtually from anywhere with internet. I guess I'm worried about what do i do about banking, taxes and any government paperwork/approval i need before going to Mexico to rent an apartment and live with my girlfriend.

Could you please give me some advise or what i need to do, it's all very new to me and makes me overwhelmed cause i don't speak fluent Spanish and I've lived in Canada my whole life, but i need to be with my girlfriend and we need to be in Mexico for now for her work.

Thanks for any advise,
Kyle

[Guy Courchesne]

Glad you like the city!

First, you cannot lose your Canadian citizenship just by being out of the country, so don't worry. If you stay away longer than 6 months, then you would want to change your residency status, which is mostly about taxes. You don't need to do anything at all if you're only staying 6 months, though you might lose OHIP coverage (best check with the ministry of health on that one).

As for Mexico, you can stay on a tourist visa for up to 180 days. After that, you would have to leave the country and return again for a new visa, or upgrade your visa to something else. If you can work online as you say, then you don't need to bother with Mexican working papers and you can probably keep your Canadian bank account, maybe simply working online with it.

Now, if you're going to make the move longer than 6 months, then you have to look at another type of visa for Mexico. The usual is called an FM3 and can be used for working here (though you'll need an employer in Mexico to sponsor you) or for being a resident such as snowbirds and retirees often have. If you draw a Canadian income of a minimum 1,000 USD (or somewhere around that) and can prove it, then the FM3 should be easy to get.

[kyle12345]

Great thank you soo much for your help, i am more relaxed now. I think i was worried about losing my OHIP coverage, i was told that if i come back to Canada every 6 months to have a doctors appointment i will be able to keep my OHIP

So basically, all i need is a tourist visa for 180 and a plane ticket and i can go to Mexico to stay for 6 mths? Is getting a tourist visa complicated and take long to get? I was planning on leaving in a couple months or sooner.

Thanks again for your help, i'm glad i found this site to answer my concerns and questions.

Thanks,
Kyle

[Guy Courchesne]

Happy to help.

As a Canadian, you are given a form on the plane to fill out. Simple as that. When you arrive in Mexico City, simply hand in the completed FMT form to customs and they'll automatically give you 180 days. You said you were here a few weeks ago? It's the same process you must have gone through last time. Don't lose the tourist visa as you need to hand it back in when you leave the country again.