Moving to Mexico, possible with this career?
 

I've been mulling the idea of moving to Mexico for a year. I know that I could go there and get a six month tourist visa, go back to Canada and re-enter for another six months...

but I'm curious about whether I could get an FM-3 and stay for a year with that VISA.

Reading though, I'm not clear on whether they would let me into the country as a self-employed person that earns income outside the country.

And, I'm not familiar at all with the Mexican attitudes and laws regarding pornography, etc.

Does anyone here know anything about it, or know where I could find some more information on this?

Mexico seems pretty liberal. I've only been there a couple times though.

monica:

I can't comment much on Mexico specifically, but they are generally much the same as all Latin/South American countries and regards living there.

I seriously doubt you will have *any* problem living there while earning outside the country :-) What country would not like all their residents to be doing this?

As a clue, I live in the same geo region as Mexico and have no problem whatsoever either with residency or bringing funds into the country (which are obviously tax free).

I think you may be pleasantly surprised at what is possible. The attitude is nothing like US, Canada or Europe - other countries are much more tolerant and helpful :-)

The reason I felt making income outside the country would be an issue is because the outline for obtaining an FM-3 visa talk only about earning money within the country, or living off of residual income like retirement funds etc.

You are probably right, they would probably be quite happy to allow me in if I'm earning money and spending it there. :)

I assumed their attitudes towards porn would be more open minded... Latin people seem a lot more relaxed when it comes to sexuality.

However, every country has their quirks, and I wasn't sure what their particular laws regarding porno, online activities, and obscenity might be.

monica:

Yep! You are in the fortunate situation of being neither! :-) That's one of the major benefits of operating on the net - total mobility.

Believe me.. they will grab your arm off! :glugglug You are the kind of visitors countries love! I've travelled the globe on that basis for almost ten years!

On porn... again, I can't be specific about Mexico, but you will find a totally different attitude and no govt agency is pro-active in trying to hunt you down. My experience is nobody cares and as long as this does not harm to anyone or is anything conducted in public that may cause offense - you have a free hand :-)

Where I am there is one possibly problematic law... it is that of "producing porn" - ie shooting video etc. The reason for that law was to stop idiots producing CP and the law was badly considered and includes all production. In real life, there is no problem with "normal porn" production - no law agency is going to show interest as long as it does not involve children. Apart from that - they really don't care :-) Internet stuff is no problem.

That's why I was thinking of moving or travelling around... I'm entirely mobile.. just pack up a laptop and go. :)

This industry rocks.

monica:

You got it!! :glugglug

Another bit to consider is... Canada has the same treatment of non-resident citizens as the rest of the world (excluding the US and Lybia).

There may be some tax advantages to your periods of non-residency :-)

I've been looking into doing this for a couple of years now. Finding a house to rent that will take my dogs & has high speed has been tough, but it sounds like the high speed access is growing all the time.

From the research I've done regarding visas, the general consensus is that you need to prove you have money coming in. Their main concern is taking jobs away from their people, so if you can show a bank account statement with regular wire transfers (at least $2K per month), you should be fine.

Hey KCat...

that's one of my main problems too.. my dog. I've found some places where I could take her, but I'm worried about the heat. I'm not sure she would thrive in a hot environment where I would like to live... but I couldn't live without her.

I've got two little ones that I'm sure would love to get out of the cold. But there are other things to worry about with dogs in Mexico. I got a lot of advice from retired folks etc. on message boards that bring their dogs down every year.

As a general rule, Mexicans do not understand the way we treat our dogs like our babies. Dogs there are often flea-ridden, dirty and/or diseased - the equivalent of rats. Keeping your dog away from the strays is a given, but you need to really watch out when walking your dog, especially on the beach. Apparently the locals will leave scraps of food laced with poison to keep the stray dogs off the beaches.

In a little town I visited last year, the local cop came around to warn everyone to keep their pets inside that night because they would be shooting any strays seen roaming the streets. I guess it's a fairly common occurance when the stray population gets too large. :(

If you stick more to the beaten path with all the other ex-pats this will be less of a problem. Where were you looking at going?

I say go to Chile :) I am planning on going there for atleast 6 months within the next few years. Check out this site http://www.escapeartist.com/ it has a lot of good information about living outside the US from people who do it.

before you move to another country, try to learn first their culture and other stuff that would give you a clue if you will have a better career.:thumbsup