Moving to Mexico and finding work... possible?

June 6, 2018 10:49 AM

Considering a (mostly hypothetical) move to Mexico but the information I have found suggests that the visa requirements are too restrictive for the type of work I would do. Has anybody made the move or have any knowledge/experiences?

More of a hypothetical situation really—a bit of a pipe dream—but I have always loved Mexico and would love to spend an extended period of time working and living there.

However, most of the research I have done suggests that the visa requirements are too strict: i.e. you would have to find a job willing to sponsor you, then the whole process of actually getting the visa would take months. Is that accurate? For the type of not-particularly-skilled work (something like copy editing where they require a native English speaker) I would be doing, I don't think there are any companies that would be willing to sponsor me or wait that long.

Have you made the move yourself or know anybody who has? I would be interested in hearing your experiences.

Thanks a lot!

posted by iamsuper to Work & Money (3 answers total)

Agreed that working remotely is likely your best, and probably your only, option, given your skills.

If you can qualify for a temporary residence card instead of the tourist visa, you can a) stay longer at a stretch and b) get the national health insurance for about $100US/year. (It costs about $250 total to get a temporary residence card, as opposed to about $40 for the tourist visa. But you'll recoup that the first time you don't have to leave the country just to renew your tourist visa.)
posted by bricoleur at 4:09 PM on June 6, 2018

I met someone recently who started a small business for residency. So that's an option.
posted by aniola at 10:54 AM on June 7, 2018

As in, rented a hole in the wall, decorated it, got a deep fryer, hired a couple people, and started a business around frying potatoes, basically.
posted by aniola at 10:55 AM on June 7, 2018