Mexican Immigration Law - FM3 Visa story

Now you know why we have so many illegal Mexicans scattered around the U.S. If we did the same treatment (procedures) to them, I doubt we would have an immigration problem. We would be called a "police state" If our leaders had gone thru this process, we would have no problem with legislation.This makes some very interesting reading:


The following from a director with SW BELL in Mexico City:

I spent five years working in  Mexico. I worked under a tourist visa for three months and could legally renew it for three more months.  After that you were working illegally. I was technically
illegal for three weeks waiting on the FM3 approval. During that six months our Mexican and US Attorneys were working to secure a permanent work visa called a FM3. It was in addition to my US passport that I had to show each time I entered and left the country. Barbara's was the same except hers did not permit her to work.

To apply for the FM3 I needed to  submit the following notarized originals (not copies) of my:

1. Birth  certificates for Barbara and me. 
2. Marriage  certificate.
3. High school transcripts and proof of  graduation.
4. College transcripts for every college I attended and  proof of graduation.
5. Two letters of recommendation from  supervisors I had worked for at least one year.
6. A letter from The  ST. Louis Chief of Police indicating I had no arrest record in the US and no  outstanding warrants and was "a citizen in good standing."
7. Finally; I had to write a letter about myself that clearly stated why there was no Mexican citizen with my skills and why my skills were important to Mexico. We called it our "I am the greatest person on earth" letter. It was fun to write.

All of the above were in English that had to be translated into Spanish and be certified as legal translations and our signatures notarized. It produced a folder about 1.5 inches thick with English on the left side and Spanish on the right.

Once they were completed Barbara and I spent about five hours accompanied by a Mexican attorney
touring Mexican government office locations and being photographed and fingerprinted at least three
times. At each location (and we remember at least four locations) we were instructed on Mexican tax,
labor, housing, and criminal law and that we were required to obey their laws or face the
consequences. We could not protest any of the government's actions or we would be committing a felony. We paid out four thousand dollars in fees and bribes to complete the process. When this was done we could legally bring in our household goods that were held by US customs in Laredo Texas. This meant we rented furniture in Mexico while awaiting our goods. There were extensive fees involved here that the company paid.

We could not buy a home and were required to rent at very high rates and under contract and compliance with Mexican law.

We were required to get a Mexican drivers license. This was an amazing process. The company arranged for the licensing agency to come to our headquarters location with their photography and finger print equipment and the laminating machine. We showed our US license, were photographed and fingerprinted again and issued the license instantly after paying out a six dollar fee. We did not take a written or driving test and never received instructions on the rules of the road. Our only instruction was never give a policeman your license if stopped and asked. We were instructed to hold it against the inside window away from his grasp. If he got his hands on it you would have to pay ransom to get it back.

We then had to pay and file Mexican income tax annually using the number of our FM3 as our ID
number. The companies Mexican accountants did this for us and we just signed what they prepared.
I was about twenty legal size pages annually.

The FM 3 was good for three years and renewable for two more after paying more fees.

Leaving the country meant turning in the FM# and certifying we were leaving no debts behind and no
outstanding legal affairs (warrants, tickets or liens) before our household goods were released to
customs.

It was a real adventure and If any of our Senators or Congressmen went through it once they would
have a different attitude toward Mexico.

The Mexican Government uses its vast military and police forces to keep its citizens intimidated and
compliant. They never protest at their White House or government offices but do protest daily in front of the United States Embassy. The US embassy looks like a strongly reinforced fortress and during most protests the Mexican Military surround the block with their men standing shoulder to shoulder in full riot gear to protect the Embassy. These protests are never shown on US or Mexican TV. There is a large public park across the street where they do their protesting. Anything can cause a protest such as proposed law changes in California or Texas.