Job Discussion Forums

mapache · Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 202 Location: Villahermosa

Wow, I'm jealous of all you who get your FM3 renewed quickly. In Tuxtla Gutierrez, going to immigration is a game where you go and wait two hours to see the Licenciado. He tells you part of what you need to bring back including a letter from the city that takes two more trips there. You go again, wait two hours and are told what you brought back is incorrect and/or you need other things never mentioned before. You go again and he tells you to bring back blank SAT forms.

You go again with the blank forms and are told to come back in three days to pick up the completed forms. You go again to be told the forms aren't ready, come back. After you get the forms, you go to the bank to pay and return. After that, you are told to come back in a week. A week later the office closes early for Valentine's Day so you have to come back. After that, you go again and your visa is not ready so come back tomorrow. You go tomorrow and...... so on. My initial application and the last two renewals have taken 8 trips each with an average of two hours wait per trip.

The worst time was when the crazy owner of the school I worked at pissed everyone off at the local office, at the regional office in Tapachula and at the main office in Mexico City. Needless to say, the poor teachers suffered from her rants. Finally, she suggested to some teachers thay pay a mordida from their own pockets to speed things up.

I'm going tomorrow with all documents carefully copied, written, and with all the required identifications and forms. I'm sure if I shake the Licenciado's hand with a 500 peso bill in mine, the process will be streamlined significantly but I don't intend to do that.

Wish me luck!

Samantha · Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera

Hmmm....Interesting how they all seem to work at different speeds... Now I know ours is very busy, but my top wait has been 10 days start to finish for my FM3 and no hours of sitting in chairs...maybe 30 minutes on a busy day. How could an office like the one we have here in Mazatlan processing all these time share sales FM3's and all the Tom's, D i c k's and Harry's wanting to open a little restaurant, bar or shop, website design service, realtors, property management, coconut milk to go, massage therapists, nurse for the season, singers etc etc etc., take a shorter time than an area that would seem relatively unpopulated by foreigners. What's up with that? Efficiency seems to be the name of the game at the local immigration office here. Scary stuff. Cool

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

Applying for and renewing work visas at the immigration office here used to involve some very long waits and lots of repeat visits. My personal record was being told to return on 13 different days during a 4-week period to complete a renewal. On some of those days I even went twice on the same day, being told to come back in an hour or two hours, so it actually involved more than 13 total visits to the immigration office. However, more recently the total renewal process each time only took 5-7 working days and 2 or 3 trips to the immigration office. It took 4 months the last time because I changed to permanent residency status, so the paperwork had to be sent to Mexico City for processing. That only required 3 trips to the immigration office: 2 trips to turn in everything and return the paid ficha, then a third trip after immigration called to tell me my approved visa had arrived from Mexico City.

corporatehuman · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 198 Location: Mexico City

I hate that guy at Tuxtla. I was there for two days trying to get my tourist visa renewed. At one point someone went into the copy room and locked the door, for an hour. Everyone in the office would come by and try to open the door (cause they had to make copies) and then shrug their shoulders and laugh that they couldn't find the keys.
I anxiously waited for a long time, looking and feeling like a dog begging for scraps; the moment, I swear, the moment I decided to start reading a book, act like I didn't care when he showed up to give me my VISA; that moment, he gave it to me.
Also at one point while we were talking in his office he took a phone call. Left the office for about 20 to thirty minutes. I just sat there waiting, and waiting. When he came back, he asked me why I was still waiting. I also spoke horrible Spanish at the time and this seemed to bother him as well; anyway, something like 2 days 6 to 7 hrs in total, finally got the VISA.

- Chris

scottmx81 · Joined: 26 Oct 2006 Posts: 64 Location: Morelia, Mexico.

The Morelia immigration office sounds like the one in Tuxtla Guitierrez.

I've spent four full hours in there waiting on a single occaison, almost impossible to spend less than one hour in there, requirements consistently change and so on.

mapache · Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 202 Location: Villahermosa

Tuxtla INM Adventure Trip 1: Arrived at the INM at 0830 in case there was a line. At 0915 I wondered why there was no one else waiting. At 0920 I asked what was going on. They told me they changed the opening hour to 10AM (no signs). At about ten they opened the door, I asked for a sign in sheet because others wanted to get ahead of me to see the Licenciado. He was 20 minutes late for work, took my papers, told me my FM-3 book was damaged (they fall apart) and sent me to the city to get a letter of Constancia. I went to the city waited in line, made copies, paid my fee, and was told to come back tomorrow after 3 to get my letter. More adventures to follow.

rafomania · Joined: 25 Mar 2005 Posts: 95 Location: Guadalajara

Hi. samantha im not prepared to do anything for the school. the border run is to protect my own back and stay legal in Mexico. As it stands i cant renew the visa cos i aint paid the taxes. so i guess i either pay them plus a bunch of fines, ignore it all or do the border run and work on a tourist visa or reapply for a new fm3. either way i feel the school has screwed us over in the first place. what do you think?
anyone in similar situartions?
From Guadalajara is the USA or Guatamala the nearst/cheapest border run? any suggestions?????
thanks

Samantha · Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera

I guess my point is that you aren't legal working on a tourist visa anyway, so why bother with the border run. Either way you will get deported if caught so save the expense. Then come back in after deportation on a new tourist visa. I've seen that done. You won't get checked for a tourist card if you are staying put in the city, unless it happens at work in which case it does you not one bit of good to hold only a tourist card anyway. Get a new job and reapply for a new FM3 within the allowable period.