Job Discussion Forums

[thelmadatter]

Due to a small brain cramp (maybe several) on my part, I might have a small problem. My FM3 runs out on 9/29. I got all the paperwork together and handed it over to the Juridico at my school on Friday. However, I booked a flight to Arizona for the Independence Day puente (4 day weekend) (9/16 in case anyone doesnt know) to get some legal and other junk taken care of (still!).

So my passport is in others' hands. Although juridico swears to me that they will do everything possible to get my paperwork done before the puente, I am really doubtful. I realized this weekend that the stamps in my FM3 are messed up. I crossed the border 3 times, twice by land, once by plane and each time I either missed migracion completely somehow or was completely unable to find a migracion officer to stamp me in or out. By the way, it seems to me that if you cross both ways by land, you shouldnt even bother with the stamping. As much as I would rather respect Mexican law, finding migracion is difficult to impossible, at least in Nogales and no one checks Americans anyway. But definitely have all your document if you travel north by bus. Somewhere you'll get boarded by authorities and your documents checked.

What are the odds that the powers that be will give me a lot of grief about this? Of course, I didnt save any of my transportation tickets.

What about just going with my birth certificate and filling out a tourist visa when I come back? or am I asking for trouble? Or can I rely on the system to let me through the cracks?

[moonraven]

Why is your passport in other hands? A complete copy is sufficient in the Toluca office. Also, when they turn in your FM-3, they will receive a form indicating that it is in tramite, which should be sufficient for the imigration people.

[thelmadatter]

Good question MR. Ill go raise some heck. Thanks for the information - it is very helpful I forgot how incompetent our juridico dept is

[MELEE]

I agree with Moonraven,

They shouldn't have your passport!

The letter that they give you as a "reciept" for your FM3 to show that it is en tramite is not enough for you to leave the country. If they won't have it back to you on time, (In the Oaxaca Office renewals now take only 5 days, but they used to take 3-4 weeks!) you will need an Oficio de Salida which will cost you about $250 pesos. As of last year, you had to apply for it 10 days in advance, you need to show your plane tickets, your passport, submit one of those official tramite papers and a personal letter explaining your situation and you will be given permission to leave and come back.

As for your stamps, I can never get the people at the airport to stamp my exit--they say only students need to do that, so I have like one exit and several enterences. Only once has the local immigration office commented on it, then it was just a passing comment.

[moonraven]

You can thank the moonraven for the sudden change in turn around time of FM-3s in Oaxaca. Or you can not thank her--and next time complain yourself.

[delacosta]

Well come on moonrave, give Huatulco a call, there's been no turn around in time for processing things around here! New teachers are still being told that they have one month to wait, and they are not allowed to work with an ' en tramite' letter. That was my situation 6 months ago ( the school, MR-youknow who...asked me to work anyway and they'd take care of things 'later'...uhh yeah right)
I'm not sure how to avoid this in your situation, but if you leave the country and return on a tourist visa you WILL have to re-apply for your fm3, and lose any time you had accumulated towards an fm2. Once you change status you have to start all over again. This is what happenned to me when I returned form a year in Canada, bit af a pain especially when i thought I was doing everything according to the migra's instuctions. Of course, what I couldn't predict was that while i was gone the staff was completely replaced at the office I deal with.

[moonraven]

Sorry, delacosta, but you also know that when teachers tell the immigration office that they are working before the FM-3 is ready, there are negative consequences. Considering that when I was there 2 years ago Huatulco and Escondido offices were turning the FM-3s around in 2 to 3 days, it was clearly stupid for someone to inform immigration that they were working already, thereby throwing a wrench into a system that was functioning like clockwork. (Actually, I believe I addressed this matter in a previous post.) Unfortunately, other schools in the same system were being subjected to a deliberately "slow" process--and someone took it upon herself to complain.

[dangermouse24]

I agree with the others, there's no reason why they should hold on to your passport. They should have made a copy and given it straight back to you. As for getting your documents back before the puente I'll keep my fingers crossed. I wouldnt count on it. I dont know how the immigration office is in Toluca but I live in a city much smaller, they told me a similar thing in February (I was planning to visit family over St. Patricks) and I didn't get mine back until the end of May.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[thelmadatter]

Thanks Ben for rememberbing my situation. Turns out everything came out fine in the wash. I suppose thats why I didnt continue to write here - nothing to b____ about It did turn out to be a lot easier to renew than to get the first one

I made it up to Arizona during the puente and got just about everything I needed to done. Funny - I felt really out-of-place there. I was never really a big fan of AZ (despite living there 11 years) but going back this time - I really felt alien and have no desire to return. There's nothing left there that is "home" (I do have a few items left to somehow get down here and/or sell but thats beside the point) I dont quite yet know if I belong here in Mexico but I no longer have any pressing need to go back "home," wherever that is.

[MixtecaMike]

[thelmadatter]

ROFL Mixteca .... Is there a support group or 12-step program or lobbying group for us?