Job Discussion Forums

[ericksgm]

I find a million topics on how to get an FM3 and how to work legally in Mexico but I am curious to hear the experiences of those of you now working legally? Do you find you get ripped off a lot or does it seem to be pretty safe? Do you have any problems with immigration when going to a different country or going home? I�m just curious, so please fill me in on whatever information you have.

[ls650]

The immigration office in my local area is known for being quite strict. When a teacher in this area was discovered by immigration to be working without an FM3, he was fined 5000 pesos, the school was fined another 5000 pesos, and he was ordered to either leave the country within 5 days or submit all the paperwork necessary for an FM3. The teacher was also told not to work while the paperwork was being processed (which took exactly 30 days, the maximum allowed).

That said, the way immigration handles this seems to vary greatly from one office to another within Mexico. I've read comments here from some folks who have worked illegally and have had few or no problems.

Good luck.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[Guy Courchesne]

Working illegally (on or without a tourist visa) runs the risk of deportation and barring you from returning to Mexico for a period. As said above, some offices are stricter than others. I think that the larger the town, the less strict the office (or maybe just too busy). I know of many in Guadalajara and Mexico City working illegally.

Working without an FM3 means you may have difficulty getting paid, since you can open an account to cash cheques or receive electronic deposits. If your tourist visa runs out, you'd have to pay a fine if you wanted to leave the country again by air. Fines vary by immigration agent and your honed negotiating skills.

...ooops, you wrote legally. oh well. There's my answer anyway...

[J Sevigny]

The only question I have is why?

Getting an FM3 can be a hassle but it's not generally all that difficult once you have an offer from a school that's on the up and up. Of course, many people go through a period of working on tourist visas while awaiting their FM3s, but eventually get work permits.

I don't see any reason to defy the law.

[ls650]

I suppose one might work "under the table" if you planned to only be in Mexico for a few months, and didn't necessarily care about being booted out of the country with little warning.

One of my fellow students in my TEFL certificate course started working illegally in Mexico almost immediately after the course finished. She worked for a small private English language school a couple hours ouside of DF. She was paid about 4500 pesos/ month in cash and was given a room in a 2-bedroom apartment (rent-free) to be shared with the school's only other foreign teacher. She ended up staying for 7 months at the school, which was apparently some kind of record for the longest-staying teacher at that school.

If the OP doesn't care about low pay or long hours, than I'm sure he/she will find illegal work... but if you want a half-decent job in Mexico, work legally.

[Guy Courchesne]

[lozwich]

If its as easy as it sounds these days to get an independent FM3, why not just go freelance, which also gets rid of the employer needing to get involved in taxation issues?

A bit more paperwork for you, but more secure immigration wise.

That said, I must admit to having a certain fear of being deported from anywhere. It'd be like cutting off my wings, and I'd hate to be told I'm not allowed to enter a country because of something I'd done in the past. Deportophobia, I believe its called.

[Samantha]

I can think of a big reason the FM3 Independiente wouldn't be that hot for teachers who may be on a fluctuating income. It's expensive. The nice lady in the local Immigration office says it's only good for 6 months so it turns out to be double the price. Has anyone else checked this out?

[MO39]

Does anyone know how much the FM-3 independiente costs per six-month period? Does the cost vary from place to place?

[Samantha]

The total for 6 months came to over $2100.00 MXP. It was broken down into two charges. $1713.00 and $400.00.

[gordogringo]

These numbers seem like too much.If you have no connection you will have to pay the full amount.Try to make a good contact.Local politician,influential businessperson,or be friends with a close family member of one of those.I would be suprised if they could'nt knock that fee down to less than $200 pesos.This is how Mex works.Corruption can work in your favor once in a while.A business partner of mine and 9th generation Tijuanan once told me that paying full amount for everything was only for those new to Mex.

[Samantha]

Ummmm.... I am guessing you don't have an FM3, because whether it's too much or not, that's the current cost. It is not some shady back alley deal you do under the cover of darkness. Those fees get deposited into the Government bank account by the applicant as one of the first steps in the process that goes through more than one person.

Don't believe for one minute that immigration fees are negotiable or that you can get away with one there. Maybe with a traffic cop your theory applies, but even then not always. People who believe that this sort of thing is the norm are the ones new to Mexico, believing tall tales they hear. Posting such a suggestion on a forum like this does a huge disservice to teachers reading here as it could get someone into a heap of trouble.

[ericksgm]

[Samantha]

That is your fine you got reduced. Those fines are levied by discretion and can be all over the map. If you smiled nice enough you may not even have been fined. I was speaking specifically of the cost of the work permit, just so as not to muddy the waters. Note that you did have to pay the cost of your FMT tourist card at set fee. And you should not have had to leave the country for an extension if you aren't here longer than 180 days at a stretch. You can extend it inside the country up to those dates for the exact price you paid. Glad you got it sorted out.