Indians in Mexico

Indians in Mexico (Views Expressed are personal)

Mexico,The New Land of Opportunity: 

Mexico is turning in "Land of opportunity".  Mexico city is a home for a large Expat population. I got an opportunity to work for a Telecom company in Mexico.

Preparing for Visa: 

Getting Mexican Visa is a lengthy procedure for Indians. Mexico is too far from India and there are no direct flights. Connecting flights are from Europe and USA. Which requires Transit Visa But Amsterdam allows transit without applying for a Visa. KLM airline via Amsterdam is easy but expensive option for Indians who do not have USA transit visa

People applying for Mexican visa need to appear in person before consular authority. Many Indians use Mexico as a transit route to infiltrate in USA. So Candidates are interrogated for Financial Background and Reasons to Visit Mexico to check for genuine travelers. Mexico is a Top Tourist Destinations in world but not for Indians. Indians do not travel to Mexico as a Tourist unless they are based in USA.

My employer arranged for Permission to work in Mexico. I visited Mexican Embassy, New Delhi for stamping of Entry Visa. The list of required documents is large and you must have all documents in order to get approval. Here is the list as was pasted outside embassy in 2013. Visit the Embassy page at http://embamex.sre.gob.mx/india/index.php/en/consular-section/visas to check current requirements. If everything fine, Entry Visa is processed same day. Work Permit will be processed after arriving in Mexico.

Mexican Business Visa Requirements as printed outside Mexican Embassy, New Delhi  in 2013

Procedure for Spouse Visa are complex. My wife was denied tourist visa and consular office was reluctant to provide reason of rejection. After a lot of search and communication with fellow Indian Expats in Mexico, I got to know that Spouse's dependent visa process will be initiated at Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM), Mexico City. Presidential Elections were held in Mexico and Government was about to change. A very unfortunate thing is that New Government (If different political party gains power) replaces almost all the working staff of Govt. departments. New staff took time to get habitual and clear the accumulated backlog. Elections are held once in six years and unfortunately we had to bear the unnecessary delay in immigration dept. Usually process takes two to three months but in my case it was a little longer.

Spouse Visa Requirements:Lawyer prepares file with relevant documents to present it to INM. Candidates will provide Original Marriage Certificate. Marriage certificate will be translated into Spanish by a authorized Translation Institute in Mexico. INM will issue a authorization letter for candidate. Spouse will submit file with relevant documents to Mexican Embassy in respective country. Here is a list of documents for stamping entry visa.

1. Application form duly filled
2. Authorization Letter from INM
3. Passport with at least six month validity
4. A recent passport-sized photograph (4.5 CM X 3.5 CM) with white background
5. Covering letter given by your organization and duly signed by the competent authority
6. A request Letter from spouse
7. Copy of Personal Bank Statement (last 6 months)-"Copy of Mexico's Bank account" and spouse's bank statement of last six months.
8. Your Passport's Copy
9. Copy of All Visa's of all countries you had visited
10. Your FM3's Copy
11. Your Employment  Certificate from company
12. Flight booking-"Tentative Flight Booking"
13. Visa fee-currency notes of "100" are accepted only

Visa was stamped in the same day.

Life in Mexico:

There were few Indians in Mexico in 2011 when I reached there, but numbers were growing steadily. I heard from a friend that social celebrations like Birthday and anniversary have shifted from home to outdoor big halls. Most Indians were in traditional Textile business in Mexico City but expansion Indian companies brought Techies to Mexico. Many Indian IT and Pharma companies have setup business units in Mexico. Telecom companies bring cheap Indian manpower to work on short term projects.

Indian Women Association of Mexico is a Indian Community Association, they usually brings Indian community together to celebrate festivals. Embassy of India opened Indain Cultural Centre called Gurudev Tagore Indian Cultural Centre. The Cultural Centre offers classes in Yoga, Indian classical dance forms, instrumental music of Sitar, Hindi and Sanskrit, besides Indian cuisine, which are hugely popular. I met many Mexican peoples who had interest in Yoga, mediation and Indian food. There is a Temple, Gurudwara and a Mosque. There were four restaurants providing Indian Food named Dawat, Indian Town, Tandoor and Taj Mahal. Indian groceries are available but expensive.

Safety is of high concern when it is about living in a big city. All metropolitan cities of world have similar stories on providing safe living to peoples. People need to keep vigil and to take precautions while living in Mexico City.