What's Mexico's policy on Americans emigrating there? (living, restaurants, legally)

[Tiger Beer]

What is Mexico's policy on Americans emigrating there?

NOT Mexican-Americans...gringo Americans..

[Willy702]

Its a long discussion, you are going to have to be a little more specific on it.

[Tiger Beer]

Don't know how to be more specific than that.

But...just thinking...a lot of everyone wants to move to America. But where can Americans go? Most people block us from emigrating to their countries.

I've been living in Asia for 10 years or so...can't legally emigrate anywhere over here...even if you marry into a culture, still pretty limited on any rights, etc. Nothing whatsoever similar to what America offers when people emigrate there, and the fact America offers it and you don't even have to marry into it, etc. You'd NEVER be able to that over here in Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, on and on where I've been living as an American. I know Americans who's American parents were born in Japan, they were born in Japan, and fathered/mothered kids in Japan...but NONE of them have any rights whatsoever...still on their 'tourist' or 'work' visas connected to jobs, and never lived in the U.S. where their passport is from...pure unstability.

I was a bit curious about Mexico once...but heard it was near impossible. But it kind of surprises me as Mexico has 50 million in the U.S., so is there ANY recipricocity whatsoever...or does the Mexican government just block all Americans altogether...unless they have Mexican ethnicity/history/connection. I kind of have an impression we're completely blocked.

But that can't be right...no reciprocity at all...or am I wrong about that.

I've also heard 'why would an American want to emigrate to Mexico?'. Well, if there was reciprocity, and 40% of Mexico City was Americans...like Los Angeles with Mexicans...then of course we'd want to emigrate...and Mexico would probably have money pouring into it, facelifting the country and could be a real interesting place in general.

But I kinda get the impression that even 5% Americans making up Mexico City would be WAY too much for the Mexican government...but it just made me think about the possibilities.

[sparksmex]

There's tons of 'gringos' living in Mexico both as rentistas and imigrantes ... but most retired. Why retired, no jobs and the pay is low. You can apply for citizenship after 5 years on an FM2 visa or just live temporarily on an FM3 visa

Eddie is full of it

[stevenvillatoro]

Eddie, too bad you want such a naïve interpretation of México. You cheat yourself out of connecting with a very rich and warm aspect of your ancestry. Chickens are still chickens in México, but if you have any doubt, stick with the fried grasshoppers. Not sure that México's rotten economy is any worse than our own rotten economy.

– Another gringo

[Eddie Ho]

Everybody's economy is rotten right now. And no, Eddie is not "full of it" ...

I actually went down to Mexico as a boy to visit family. We went to this one diner and ordered chicken. I later found out that the chicken was actually dog. It made me sick.

That was however, a very long time ago. Things may have changed since, hard to say.

[stevenvillatoro]

Originally Posted by Eddie Ho

We went to this one diner and ordered chicken. I later found out that the chicken was actually dog.

Just curious – how did you find out that the chicken was a dog? Did someone sneak into the kitchen, or report a missing dog? Maybe someone was funnin' you. My dad used to try to shock me with made-up stories that I believed until adulthood. Eating dog in China (another part of your heritage) is a centuries-old custom. Personally, I find eating ANY animal to be sickening... the point being, it's all open to interpretation. I doubt that a dog-chicken switcharoo is commonplace in México. Once I found a bloody band-aid in my food in a US restaurant, and another time I got Hepatitis A from a US restaurant (caused by fecal-oral transmission), but neither incident became a basis for me to criticize an entire country. Moral: if you need to criticize and judge, look no farther than your own home turf!

[jonjj]

I lived in Mexico near Mazatlan for three years. I am a white person from the states. I never got the gringo thing and truely enjoyed the experience. Now, I am wondering about possibly moving to Guadalajara in the near future. Many people don't realize that in a large metro area of Mexico, the people are quite diversified and there are many very "white" Mexicans who could pass for "gringos".

That whole "chicken was a dog" thing is b.s. Perhaps the people in the restaurant were joking a bit for whatever reason?

I hate stories like that because my experiences have been completely different and so positive. The cusine in Mexico is light years ahead of the US and even in the poorest places, good food is available. I also drank the water in many restaurants, two homes, and a hotel and never got the least bit sick.

[el_inombrable]

block americans in Mexico? There´s not a such thing.

Americans are welcome for visit, work, retire or living here. But don´t look on internet for answers, make a visit and form your own opinion about Mexico.

Regards...

[Eddie Ho]

I haven't been to Mexico in about 6 years. My wife and I adopted a boy with down syndrome from Mexico 6 years ago. We have 5 of our own, and adopted another 5. We have kids from Africa, Mexico, China, Korea and Taiwan.

RE: the chicken switch ... could be the adults were having fun with me, I don't know. But when the guy from the kitchen tells you it's dog because he ran out of chicken and hopes you "don't mind because it tastes the same" ... well, that's a whole 'nother matter.

I was about 8 when that bit happened, and that was 50 years ago. Dad's long passed, so it's not like I can ask him if the kitchen guy, him, and Gramps were playing a joke on me or not.