Visas

My parents have done the permanente resident process in Laredo same as we plan to do. The Mexican government states you cannot apply from within Mexico. Ideally you're supposed to apply at the Mexican Consulate closest to your residence...however for us that would be Toronto and they're much pickier there (as my mom found out).

The different visas that I know of are:

Tourist Visa (good for up to 180 days)

Temporal Visa (good for up to 4 years...usually have to renew every year)

Permanente Visa (good forever...no renewal)

What my parents did is this:

- Moved to PV in July 2014 on a tourist visa

- Took a bus to Laredo, TX in December 2014 to apply for temporary

- You hand in your tourist visa as you leave Mexico

- My mom was granted a permanente visa, my dad received another tourist visa upon re-entry to Mexico

Once back in PV, you have to check in with INM within 30 days. Then you get a plastic card (just like our licenses here in MB). Once she had that, they went to Immigration and added my dad under her Visa. So now my dad has a 2 yr Temporal Visa which after 2 years he switches to Permanente. I could go under my moms but I would have to have a Temporal for 4 years before getting Permanente. Temporal is about $400 CDN a year whereas Permanente is $500 once. We're aiming to get our Permanente right away. With either Temporal or Permanente, we can leave as often as we want. We just have Immigration know when we leave and when we come back.

Here is the info on Temporal Visas: http://embamex.sre.gob.mx/canada_eng/index.php/household-goods/5343-temporary-resident-visa

Here is the info on Permanente Visas: http://embamex.sre.gob.mx/canada_eng/index.php/household-goods/5337-permanent-resident-visa-2012

Here is the info on getting a Work Visa: http://embamex.sre.gob.mx/canada_eng/index.php/household-goods/5336-visa-with-permission-to-conduct-remunerated-activities

So basically we need to show $2941 in income for the past 6 months. We've both switched our bank statements to paper already in case they want 12 months worth. Better to have too many than not enough. I'm leaning towards applying separately which means we will both have to show that much income. We're not married so if we apply together, we'd have to get the following:

The applicant must present a Statutory Declaration or Affidavit signed before a Canadian Notary Public, stating that as of the date of the visa application the interested parties have cohabited publicly and continuously for a minimum of two years. This declaration must contain certified copies (certified by a Notary Public) of the official photo identification of the interested parties (passport, driver’s license), as well as documents demonstrating their common-law relationship (rental contract or financing to purchase a home signed jointly; joint property; joint bank or credit accounts; income tax return showing the common-law union; life insurance policy listing the common-law partner as beneficiary, etc.).

Which is and isn't a problem. We've lived together since March 2013 but we've only got proof of it since August 2014 when we signed a lease together. You need to prove 2 years and we plan to move right at the end of the 2 years (which makes getting a Notary to sign off kinda hard). I'll have to give it some thought.

Eso es todo por ahora, hasta luego which means ‘That’s all for now, see you later’

Hola, let me introduce myself

As my profile says, I'm a 38 year old mother of 3 almost grown kids. They're 22, 19 & 17. We live just outside Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada. My boyfriend is a truck driver and I work an office job.

My ex-husband got me hooked on Mexico back in 2005 with a surprise trip to Puerto Vallarta. April 2015 would have been my 15th trip to PV...one thing I can thank him for I suppose. :-) I've been to PV with him, my kids, my parents and my boyfriend. I love it there, everything from the amazingly friendly people, cobblestone streets, the old Mexico feel, the weather, the view, even the timeshare people...there isn't one thing I don't like about PV.

My parents moved there in July 2015 - they were all set to move there without ever having gone - they're nuts I think. I convinced them to visit at least once before making the decision. So off we went for 10 days to the Friendly Vallarta. Needless to say they liked it and started making plans to move there permanently. They made the move 7 and a half months later. They sold or gave away everything they didn't 'need' and moved with 7 suitcases and 2 backpacks. Myself, my oldest daughter and her friend went with them to get them settled in (and reduce their luggage fees lol)

In the next 10 months we plan to move there, we've discussed trying it for a year but with the stipulation that I probably won't want to leave. He's free to come back to Manitoba for his winter sports of snowmobiling and ice fishing but I'll stay where it's warm thank you very much. :-)

Adios for now.