When a foreign person visits Mexico as a tourist, he or she is likely to feel enamored by the country and decide to stay to begin a new life. However, their status as a tourist may limit their plans, for which soliciting regularization may deem necessary to be able to conduct particular activities such as working and studying.
As a visitor, the individual is not allowed to perform remunerated activities.
3 types of stay conditions:
- Visitor: It is common that the stay is for vacation purposes, for period of up to 180 days. However, throughout the stay, the individual may lack the necessary permit to carry out remunerated activities.
- Temporary resident: A stay in the country for a period not exceeding 4 years qualifies to obtain a work permit.
- Permanent resident: The individual is allowed to stay in national territory indefinitely and is granted a work permit. Additionally, he or she is allowed to enter and exit the country unlimitedly.
If a foreign person wants to regularize their migration status, it can be done through:
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Regularization by family relationship:
For a foreign person to be able to regularize, he or she should accredit that they have a relationship with a Mexican or another foreigner that currently holds temporary or permanent residence. The most common forms by which this linkage is held are:
– Spouse or cohabitant of a Mexican or a temporary or permanent resident.
– Child, father, or mother of a Mexican or a foreign resident person.
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Regularization for humanitarian reasons:
The need for a foreign person to stay within national territory may be due to an irregular immigration status, such as:
– Being identified by a migration authority or another competent authority as a victim or witness of a serious crime committed in national territory.
– Being a child or teenager subject to an international removal and return procedure.
– That the degree of vulnerability complicates or makes impossible their deportation, such as in the case of pregnant women and the elderly.
– The applicant is a refugee, seeks political asylum, among others.
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Regularization by expired documents or performance of unauthorized activities
Any time a foreign person visits the country, he or she should respect the conditions under which they remain in country. However, some extraordinary situations may provoke that the terms of such conditions are not complied with, forcing the individual to request regularization.
To accredit the stay conditions of the individual while in the country, he or she may be classified as a visitor, and temporary or permanent resident. In QuAdrans law and finance, we can help you process all migration documents you need to perform any activity you want within national territory.
