About AlienOnTheRun

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Some Forum Posts:

Mexico: My disappointing experience at Mexican Consulate in San Francisco:

I walked into Mexican Consulate in San Francisco yesterday and came out heartbroken… I first talked to a female clerk, telling her I’d like to find out if I could apply for a permanent residence visa under the Financial Independence category. She had no idea what it is and then showed me the papers that listed the requirements for both Temp and Permanent residence visa application and BOTH WERE FOR RETIREES ONLY. I kept explained nicely to her UNDER THE NEW LAW, there’s such a category and what it entails. She asked me where I got those information from, I told her from Surviving Yucatan. But she said the only web site information I can go by is Mexican Immigration Office’s official site, which was only in Spanish. She finally got another man to talk to me. I think he was probably someone with higher authority. He was polite but to make a long story short, he said i was so young (51 years old), I don;t have a house in Mexico, and I don;t have a job in Mexico either, so I don;t have the intent to live in Mexico. And no Mexican consulate will issue a PR visa to someone who does not have the intent to live in Mexico even if they are millionaires. He also kept saying I look so young (I already showed him my Canadian passport). I may look younger than my biological age and this would have been a nice compliment in a normal social conversation. But unfortunately in this particular case, I strongly suspected a judgement call was in play for some reason. Plus I’m Asian, which are rare in Mexico. I don’t know what’s going through in his head but it’s not good. I explained to him why I wanted to immigrate to Mexico and I do intend to live there, but he said, “but you don’t own a house there, you don’t have a job there, you don’t have family there.” I understand the majority of PR applicants are retirees but I never knew being one plus having a house, or a job in Mexico are also the requirements, oh and the age, or how old one appears to be. And isn’t the reason of creating such a category as Financial Independence to allow people who are not retirees yet, but can show proof of the required financial means to immigrate to Mexico for whatever reason (as long as I’m not hurting anybody, or doing anything illegal, which I most definitely won’t) to be able to apply as well. And that’s it! Doesn’t matter the new law. Whay they had told me and what they go by had really not much to do with what the new law says. It’s their own law that counts. He suggested I can always visit Mexico and stay 6 months visa free each time. I walked out of their office stunned and heartbroken. My mind was totally blank. All the research and efforts trying to learn the new law were wasted. My hope of starting a new life in Mexico was over. I’ve been searching for a new home and wanting a new home for several years. I thought Mexico WAS the one. I’m simply speechless. If I do visit Mexico as a tourist, since I hold a Canadian passport, I can just go, is that correct? I remember reading something somewhere that says under the new law, visitor (or tourist?) now is a category of visa and not just a general term like what it means casually. And what should I prepare beforehand so i will encounter least or no trouble later down the road when I need to stay another 6 months or eventually apply for a temporary or permanent resident visa? Can I do all of these transactions (extend another 6 months, apply for temp residence and apply for permanent residence) while I’m in Mexico? What are the actually procedures for these three transactions once I’m in Mexico as a visitor? Thank you. By the way, can anyone tell me a little background of Surviving Yucatan? Is it a non-profit or does it belong to a certain group? Who are they? I can’t find it on their web site. Thank you.

Mexico: Transferring money and currency exchange rates:

What’s the most inexpensive way of transferring money in USA to Mexico ? How and where to get the best deal when exchanging USD for MXN in and outside Mexico?

Mexico: Temporary and Permanent Residency Visa:

For permanent residents in USA and Canada, they're automatically granted the right of employment, to work any jobs they can get, for the most part anyway. And I don' think either country have such a category as Temporary Resident Visa. But Mexico is quite different in a way that it has Temporary and Permanent Residency Visa. So why is some Temporary Residency Visa holders can have work permit (which means they can work in Mexico, correct?) and some cannot. I'd assume Permanent Residency Visa holders automatically acquire authorization to work in Mexico without restrictions, is that correct? On thees two pages, you'll see the requirements for both visas. http://www.mexicovisaservice.com/TEMPORARYRESIDENCYVISA.html http://mexicovisaservice.com/PERMANENTMEXICORESIDENCYVISA.html I don't know how accurate they are. Provided accurate, at the bottom of Item 5 on both pages, it says something like, "Or, original and a copy of proof of investments or bank accounts with an average monthly balance equivalent to $132.000,00 (for Permanent, or $104.000.00 for Temporary) dollars during the last twelve months." I'm wondering if anyone is familiar with this particular item. Are the $ amount stated here still in effect now? And Does it have to be in Mexico, or can it also be outside Mexico? I know there has been a change in their immigration law recently. Did that change anything on the requirements of these two visas? Thank you.

Mexico: Income inside and outside Mexico:

I understand most of us are not tax experts, but being new to this forum, I'm just hoping to get a general idea on how Expats in Mexico pay their taxes, both to Mexico and their home countried, say USA or Canada? Do expats have to pay tax to Mexico for income both from inside and outside Mexico? And what is the tax rate? Is Mexican Tax system somewhat / somehow linked to the US / Canada?

Mexico: Police / Bureaucracy in Mexico:

I've read about the police in Ecuador always side with Ecuadorians regardless, whenever there are conflicts / problems between expats and local residents, even when the locals were apparenty 100% at fault. This includes car accidents, cheating in busines transactions, even asaults etc etc. Then of course, there is the BUREAUCRACY always. And in Argentna, corruption is widespread among federal police. In Buenos Aires, federal authorities have been linked to a number of crimes, including kidnapping, extortion, and robbery. So did you see / experience any of those in Mexico? I'd think breaucracy is most likely there, but how bad ? And what about the other two?

Mexico: Difficult to get jobs in Mexico ?:

How easy / difficult for expats to get jobs in Mexico? Thank you..

Mexico: Renting / Buying RE in Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun and Guadalajara.:

When it comes to renting and buying real estate, is it generally true that Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta tend to be more expensive than Cancun and Guadalajara? I sort of looked into this subject online and found Cancun seems to be the least expensive among the four, which puzzles me. Cancun is a very popular tourist town with super fine climate, and its population is even more than Puerto Vallarta. So why its real estate there is so cheap, especially significantly cheaper than Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta? Thank you.

Mexico: Climate in Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun and Guadalajara..:

If my ideal climate is 80-ish F, not too much rain and warm (as opposed to sizzling hot) sunshine, do you agree that Mexico city and Guadalajara can be too cold for me, while Puerto Vallarta and Cancun may be better suited for my preference? And if you agree, which one do you think will be the best fit for me - Cancun or Puerto Vallarta? Thank you. Based on your actual living experiences there, can you point out any blind spots i may miss out by just researching online?

Uruguay: How Gay is Gay in Uruguay ?:

I just posted an inquiry at http://www.expatexchange.com/expat/index.cfm?frmid=320&forumid=0&tpcid=3377877&dbname=ee&shared=N However, in this thread, I’d like to know as a gay person, how do you like your life there? Do gays have to be in the closet, or can they be open about it? My guess is maybe somewhere in between, but it’s just a guess. I’m not the social butterfly type, but would like to have a gay social life to a certain extent. In the US, I met most gay friends in the gyms that I go to regularly. I wonder how many gyms there are in the country / city you live in. Are there any gym chains there? How big is the gay community there? I tend to enjoy life more if living in a city that has an upbeat vibe, but not crazy. However, I also love nature, like oceans and mountains either in the urban, suburban, or rural areas. If there are cities that can conveniently accommodate the beauty of both city life and nature, that will be ideal. Are there any “gay neighborhood(s)” in your city? Would you recommend gay newcomers live there? Most importantly, as a gay person, do you feel happy living in this country / city? Thank you.

Uruguay: A New Home in Uruguay ?:

Hi everyone! I'm considering moving overseas and have been researching Latin American countries. And Uruguay is one of the countries that popped up some expert's list. Since the move is mainly (though not solely) for the financial reason, I'd like to get a rough idea how much it costs to live there. Below is the cost of living in Uruguay. Please advise how accurate they are. http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Uruguay&displayCurrency=USD I’ve been looking into many other options in South America and it appears to me the cost of living in Uruguay is actually considered quite high, especially the rent, real estate and especially the utilities, if this page information is any good. What do you think? I checked their inflation rates online and it's like in the 7-9% range, which is considered high, too. I'm open to any destination as long as it has what I'm looking for in a "home." My main concerns are: 1) rent / real estate prices 2) how easy / difficult to get a tourist / immigrant visa? 3) Is it possible for expat to get jobs there since I still need to work. Unless I can afford a piece of real estate and rent out rooms, but I prefer to work. 4) Are they tax / expat friendly? 5) Low crime (I’ll post another inquiry regarding this) 6) Affordable and good quality medical care. A few other concerns: (in random order) Warm weather (80 degree F is the optimum temperature to me, and I'd rather hot than cold, ideally not too humid) Easy access to beach and mountains, Has affordable gyms with at least doable equipments, Clean, with good infrastructure Reliable, at least not too bad internet / cell phone services English-friendly is a plus, but not a must As an Asian from English speaking countries, how well received will I be there? In terms of job, my Mandarin is quite good (just came back from Taiwan). Will that be an asset? I know these are a lot of questions / concerns, and these are the ideal. And I do know the importance of being flexible. Please feel free to respond to any of them. Much obliged!

Date Joined:

10/14/2013

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47

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