Job Discussion Forums

[jimpellow]

Hello,

This is my fourth stay in Mexico over the last eight years since I went completely to teaching online. I usually take off to somewhere else in the world but may want to stay longer this time than the usual six month tourist visa limit. The one time I stayed longer I did a visa run and returned no problem. My friend, who likes to blame every single problem in the world on Donald Trump, says that due to him Mexican immigration is now often denying Americans more than six months per year (which is actually what is stated in the regulations). I have not seen this mentioned online by others and am wondering if she is distorting the truth in her anti-Trump personal obsession. Has anybody had any direct experience with this in the last six months? Thank you

[MotherF]

Where have you looked online? It's all over the facebook groups, mostly people being hasseled and given a month or two weeks at the Guatemala boarder. If you cross in to the US it doesn't seem to be a problem.

BUT...

...Did you know it's illegal to work in Mexico on a tourist visa--EVEN IF YOUR EMPLOYER IS NOT IN MEXICO?
Mexico has nothing like the "foriegned earned income exception" so anyone not touring Mexico, but residing in Mexico, is expected to pay taxes on all the income they are earning, even if that income is from a foreign employer and deposited into a foreign bank.
Of course, the likelihood of getting found out is pretty slim.

[notamiss]

To the best of my knowledge, the increase in visa runs being denied is a consequence of the 2012–2014 immigration reform. So, nothing to do with Trump.
Previously, border crossings were only documented with stamps in your passport and the tourist card that you handed in when you left Mexico. Now, the immigration official has access to your border crossing history and can tell if you have a pattern of visa runs.
Americans are not targeted in particular, Canadians have reported having problems, too. The visa runners might not be denied, but given only 7 or 30 days when they were expecting 180, and told to get a resident visa. If other nationalities experience this less, it’s probably because they don’t do visa runs as much for reasons of geographical distance.

[jimpellow]

A wonderful answer. Thank you.