In this My New Life in Mexico series, Immigration to Mexico clients share their experiences with us. In Part 2 of this edition (June 2020), Carol Watson shares her experience going through the immigration process and her advice for others thinking of doing the same.
Read Part 2 below to learn more from Carol!
Carol, what is your status in Mexico at the minute?
I have temporary residency. When we first moved here, my husband started the process in the USA and he got permanent residency right away. I found Immigration to Mexico and spoke to them about what the process would be. We decided that the best thing for me would be to come in as a tourist and then apply once I was here. Now I’m actually in the process of using them again, because I’m now going permanent, which is really exciting. I’ve already been here two years now.
Can you clarify how exactly Adriana helped you? What were the different steps that you went through together?
Once we had already made the decision, I came across something on Facebook that mentioned Immigration to Mexico and Adriana. I thought nothing ventured, nothing gained. I just dropped her an email. She was amazing. She answered me probably within an hour. I told her that we decided to move, but we weren’t sure how to go about it. It was exactly as she promised; it was so easy when we got here. She completed all of the paperwork for us. Literally I think I went to the immigration office three times. I believe I wasn’t there more than 30 minutes maximum. I would definitely recommend that people get help from a facilitator. Not necessarily a lawyer, because then you may be looking at a lot of money. I think people will be surprised at how economical it is to use a good facilitator to get your residency in Mexico.
What advice would you give to other people thinking of beginning a new life in Mexico?
Investigate before you make a decision. Check out the information that you can find online – starting with Immigration to Mexico. Adriana has a blog there and all kinds of very useful information. I always recommend Two Expats in Mexico. They’re wonderful. There’s a website called EverythingPlayadelCarmen.com. There are also Facebook groups. Rent before you buy for six months. Some people are looking for an atmosphere downtown. Other people might want a gated community out of town. Our home is 10 minutes out of town. We still go into town twice a week to go to a beach club or go to brunch, or maybe it’s to go to dinner. Each time we take a cab. It’s $5 from where we live into town, which is well worth it.
The other piece of advice is not to listen to people that haven’t lived in Mexico. This country is like every other country. Is there crime? Of course there’s crime. But for the most part, it’s very, very safe. Don’t do anything silly. Don’t mix with the wrong people. Keep your nose clean and you won’t run into any problems, whether it’s Mexico, the USA, the UK.
Is there anything, Carol, that you would do differently with hindsight?
I certainly would’ve just investigated a little more. My advice would be to come and find a rental or get an Airbnb where it’s furnished so that you’re already comfortable. And then all you’ve got to do is enjoy Mexico, learn about your new city, discover the restaurants, meet new people. That way you will ease into it as opposed to diving in the deep end.
My last piece of advice would be to try and learn some Spanish. You miss out on a big part of the Mexican culture and way of life if you can’t communicate with their language.
My last comment would be just come on down, try it, there’s nothing to lose – nothing ventured, nothing gained. Life’s too short to just keep thinking about things and dreaming about things. Whatever you do, just don’t waste the rest of your life dreaming. That’s all I can say.
Thank you, Carol for sharing your experience – and welcome to Mexico!
Have you worked with Adriana to start a new life in Mexico? We’d love to hear about your experience. Get in touch: info@immigrationtomexico.mx.