Job Discussion Forums

[Guy Courchesne]

Such things are most definitely negotiable...I've had such experiences. It doesn't mean that the fees themselves are negotiable...it means the person you negotiate with isn't doing things by the book. You can do it by cash, which is outright bribery, or let the slick civil servant exercise his or her own means - probably fudging computer entries.

Fines for visa overstays are the same. I once watched a Bolivian negotiate a 9-month overstay fine from 8000 pesos to 40 usd dollars, all in front of the line of people at the migra office.

...and don't think for a minute that it's only Mexico. Same thing with Canadian government silly servants, and US border patrol. It's just cheaper in Mexico. Also explains why migra procedures differ so much round the Republic...

The kinda real world you don't see on Reality TV.

Now, as Samantha nobly notes, t'is a crime, so if you do it, don't cry if you're caught.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[ontoit]

If you are comfortable with the worst-case scenario when and if you are caught, go for it.

[gordogringo]

Samantha,
I can see by your posts that you have never owned a business overseas.This school in TJ is my third venture.And the world over every government agency is corrupt,just at different levels.Your school is making lots of payouts to avoid things.Rest assured.Some they will never say anything about,some they will.There are ways around everything.And how legal it is,who cares?As long as you get what you came for let them solve the rest.And I do not do business in dark alleys.My most recent "security" fee payout to Tijuana police was in central Tijuana at 10am on a thursday.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[PlayadelSoul]

I have been running a school for 4 years and have not paid one centavo, under the table. Immigration fees are what they are, and have to be paid in the bank in order to avoid corruption. I think the fat gringo has been watching too many movies.

[ls650]

[Samantha]

Exactly! And I am also curious to know the answer to Tim's question, to understand how different the TJ world might really be from the rest of Mexico (or not)

[gordogringo]

Will have to find out from the lawyer.We have a local guy come by and file everything as needed for the teachers.He has a budget and gets a bonus for keeping our quarterly permit related expenses as low as possible.I brought that idea over from Taiwan and has worked well so far.My staff pay none of the visa expenses.And no teacher anywhere should.Unless he has negotiated everything else down and paid full peso for FM-3's.But I will gather that as he has made his bonus each time that everything has been negotiated down.There is always a loophole and an angle everywhere in the world.Including Mexico.Simple as that.Or go back to whatever cloud you float through life on.No skin off my back.

[gordogringo]

And playadelsoul,
Are you making any money?

[Samantha]

[ontoit]

Seems to me that a large corporation considering opening operations somewhere would be in a position to dicker up and down on tax liabilities and could probably work out some deals on administrative fees, all above board negotiations with a city or region, even a country, that stands to benefit by having the corporation located in their city, region or country. ("If you locate here, we'll waive your property tax for the first 5 years, pay your employee national health and upgrade the access roads around your plant.")

Then there are places where permits are issued at their official cost, plus what it costs you to get the official to consider your application, and where all sorts of things come up along the way that drain your start-up budget. In such places, however, costs are usually added rather than discounted.

But my experience operating an "overseas business" is that the authorities cooperate in getting us what we need to operate legally without anything extra, either over or under the table. We operate unmolested and pay only what is listed in Section blah blah, Paragraph yada yada.

[PlayadelSoul]

[gordogringo]

[gordogringo]

And to answer the burning question the books show 500 pesos paid per permit.A little too high but what the hey.