There are not many opportunities to obtain a residence permit in Mexico. One of the grounds for acquiring a residence permit is financial solvency, in other words, a high monthly income or a sufficient amount of money in the account. After you confirm your eligibility at the consulate, you will be given a visa, and after entering Mexico with it — resident card. But even if you have enough money, this does not mean that you will be given a visa.
In this post, we have collected some common statements about the Mexico Welfare Visa. In most cases, all the negativity towards this visa comes down to two problems: there is income, but it is not declared; the documents do not meet the requirements of the consulate.
No one is given a visa
They give a visa, and very actively. Each year, thousands of foreigners become residents of Mexico based on wealth. For Americans, this is generally one of the main and easiest opportunities to move to Mexico. The requirements for obtaining such a visa are posted on the websites of all Mexican consulates (why post them if you don’t give them?), and the application experience is widely discussed on social networks.
In addition, the consular section of the Mexican Embassy in Moscow is good at issuing visas based on economic viability for Russians and Belarusians. We believe that this is one of the most loyal consulates, and we confirm this from the experience of our clients. At the applicant’s request, the consular department immediately provides a list of requirements indicating the minimum required income or savings in rubles at the moment.
Lots of refusals
This is true. But when it comes to “refusals,” it is important to distinguish: the consular department refused to accept documents for consideration or the diplomatic mission refused to issue a visa. Refusals are most often reported by those to whom the consular department refused to accept documentation. And this was not the whim of the consulate, and the documents did not meet the criteria. You should be aware of these requirements, and not assume that the diplomatic mission is nagging and asking for too much.
A big advantage of obtaining a visa based on economic viability is that the papers can be sent to the consular department in advance for approval. That is, you have the opportunity to know in advance whether you will be given a visa or not.
Real visa refusal — this is when you visited a diplomatic mission, the consular department accepted the original papers, you paid the visa fee, but they still didn’t give you a visa. This happens much less frequently and is associated primarily with incorrectly executed documents.
Refusals to issue a Mexican resident visa based on economic viability occur for three main reasons:
- insufficient income or savings,
- there are no papers confirming solvency, or these papers are executed incorrectly, according to the criteria of the consulate,
- Wrong choice of consulate.
Papers — this is the key question. You receive income without paying taxes, there is no documentation — They won't give you a visa. If the documentation is available, the consul is obliged to take it and immediately see the answers to the questions:
- the amount of income or savings meets the criteria,
- income was received officially (certificate from place of employment, certificate of registration of individual entrepreneurs, etc.),
- taxes paid (declaration),
- money is traceable (bank statement with wet stamp).
The consul is not interested in explanations. Most often, he will not communicate with you at all, he will only look at the documentation. If he sees any discrepancy or the document is drawn up incorrectly, he will refuse the visa.
It is true that consulates do not accept documentation of savings held in the form of stocks, indices, cryptocurrencies, metals, etc.
Choosing the right consulate — no less important question. If you submit papers in Moscow confirming your income in Georgia, they will refuse to accept them. Even if these documents are certified by a notary and apostilled. Simply because the consul in Moscow does not understand documents from Georgia, he serves only 3 countries: Russia, Belarus and Armenia. But if you, with a Russian passport, submit such documentation to the Mexican diplomatic mission in Istanbul, they will be accepted and considered. Because the diplomatic mission in Istanbul serves Georgia and understands documents from Georgia.
Ideal choice of consulate — file in the country of income. Questionable choice — submit in a third country.
In our experience, most of those who say that “everyone is denied a visa” did not themselves have the necessary proof of wealth or were unable to submit papers to the consulate in a third country. Or they didn’t want to get involved, thinking that applying for such a visa was too complicated for them.
I have a lot of money
Your high income or large savings in themselves do not serve as a basis for issuing a visa. If you are unable to support them with the necessary documents, you will not be able to obtain a visa. Consuls are not so corrupt as to risk issuing visas without confirmation.
It doesn’t matter how much your income or savings is above the minimum amount criterion. It is enough that it is simply higher.
Consuls find fault
There is no need to consider the consul’s demands as excessive; he acts according to instructions. The consul will only ask questions if he has doubts about something. Only 3 documents are required as proof of income. It doesn't take long to figure them out. If the certificate of employment indicates one salary, but other amounts are credited to the account, this is a reason for doubt. If the investment account is for another person, this is also a reason for doubt. If the printing on the bank statement looks like it came from a printer, there will again be doubts.
Consuls may raise standards
The consul never requires that income or savings be much higher than the minimum criterion. It is enough that it is not lower. This criterion may differ from one consulate to another, but not by more than 5%. You have the opportunity to request requirements from a specific consulate in advance. We always advise having an income of approximately 5% above the minimum, and this is enough to obtain a visa.
Consuls demand bribe
This is a lie. They never demand.
Confirmation is possible to draw
Yes, there is a possibility, and sometimes it works. But not required. The consul will not call your employer to check the materials from the certificate of employment. But he has the right to ask to open a banking application and show the account balance or income from the employer.
They may not give you a visa if your family is large.
Resident visa based on economic viability — This is an immigrant visa. Even a large family will not stop the consul from wanting to immigrate to Mexico. It is enough to confirm the solvency of one family member; the rest will receive their visas based on their relationship. To do this, they must show an additional approximately $1,300 for each family member.
Entry into Mexico may be denied
A resident visa guarantees entry into Mexico (that's why it is issued). In this case, you do not need a return ticket, accommodation reservation or explanation of the purpose of your visit.
The cases known to us of refusals to enter Mexico on a resident visa were associated with outright fake visas or inappropriate behavior at the airport (fight). In recent years, Mexico has significantly strengthened its visa protections, and counterfeit visas have ceased to be encountered.
It is possible to immediately obtain a residence permit based on wealth in Mexico
It is forbidden. First, you need to obtain a visa at the consulate, and upon arrival in Mexico, exchange it for a resident card.
Although Mexican migration legislation contains a condition for changing migration status within the country after confirmation of economic viability, in practice this rule is never applied. The Migration Service long ago removed mention of such a prospect from its website, and it is possible to acquire a residence permit based on economic viability only through a visa at the consulate.
To renew, you must confirm your eligibility again.
Economic solvency must be confirmed once, when obtaining a visa at the consulate. When entering Mexico, when exchanging a visa for a resident card, and when renewing a card, you do not need to re-confirm your eligibility. That is, having received a visa, you have the right to immediately quit your job and start withdrawing money from your account.
How to independently obtain a visa and residence permit in Mexico based on economic viability, we described in thispublications.