> 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 w as 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 go ods that were held by US customs
in
Loredo 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
k eep
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.
>
>Please feel free to share this with everyone who thinks we are being
hard
This is CABL.com posting #166633. Tiny Link: cabl.co/mRvN
