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’