# visa for freelance work



## fab4004

Hello,

I'm a Canadian and would like to know if I can get a work visa if I do freelance work online from home ?

or what visa should I get ?

thanks a lot !


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## El Toro Furioso

If you do free lance work from home for clients outside of Mexico and they pay you from the US, you don't need any kind of work visa. Work visas are for working for employers (including yourself, if you start a business in Mexico with Mexico-based clients) based in Mexico. And, as a practical matter, how would anyone in Mexico even know that you were working free lance, eg, on line for NoB employers paying you in dollars sent to a US bank or address? We have a number of friends who do just that and have just regular non-immigrant resident FM3s.


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## maesonna

fab4004 said:


> Hello,
> 
> I'm a Canadian and would like to know if I can get a work visa if I do freelance work online from home ?
> 
> or what visa should I get ?
> 
> thanks a lot !


If you want to work legally (necessary if you will have Mexican clients, for instance), it is either an FM2 or FM3 with authorization to work independently. The requirements are similar to the requirements for the same respective visa authorizing you to work for an employer, except that in the place of the letter from the prospective employer, you write a letter (in Spanish, of course) saying what kind of work you will do, and submit with it along with all the degrees and other documents showing your qualifications for the work you do.


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## RVGRINGO

El Toro Furioso said:


> If you do free lance work from home for clients outside of Mexico and they pay you from the US, you don't need any kind of work visa. Work visas are for working for employers (including yourself, if you start a business in Mexico with Mexico-based clients) based in Mexico. And, as a practical matter, how would anyone in Mexico even know that you were working free lance, eg, on line for NoB employers paying you in dollars sent to a US bank or address? We have a number of friends who do just that and have just regular non-immigrant resident FM3s.


Many do get away with doing that but, technically, it is illegal according to our local INM folks. They aren't sending out the enforcement troops, but even volunteering can be deemed 'working illegally'.


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## fab4004

but I would like to know if with this kind of work I can get a work visa ?

because I want to have the fm3. but you need a letter from your employer right? in that case what would I do ?

thanks


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## RVGRINGO

No, you would probably not want to mention to INM that you are supporting yourself by working online from Mexico. There doesn't seem to be an FM3 category describing what you want to do.
You must apply for the FM3 based upon your proven income/resources in your home country. Then, once granted, you must prove those resources each year at renewal. So, it would seem that you should have either a steady income stream that you can demonstrate by three months worth of original bank statements, or significant investments and savings to prove that you can maintain yourself in Mexico. Then, with proof of a Mexican address, etc. you will be able to apply.


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## El Toro Furioso

No one has said what is wrong with my original advice. Fab said "work on line," mentioning nothing of Mexican clients (which would be unlikely). Maesonna said to get a work visa, "if you will have Mexican clients." RV ****** said that a visa is technically required but "they aren't sending out the enforcement troops." He also mentions the unrelated issue of income/capital requirements to live in Mexico, regardless of whether you want to work.

I'll stick with my original post, as long as you don't have Mexican clients and as long as you get paid outside of Mexico.


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## fab4004

thank you guys.

for example to get the fm2 or fm3
its like 1500$/per month. so do I have to show 

1500 x 12 in my bank account 

or do I have to show that I have 1500$ that enters in my bank account each month. 


is there any way that I can give them a letter of my dad telling is sending me 1500 per month so I could get the visa ?
since online I make less then that .
thanks a lot guys


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## El Toro Furioso

You have to show proof of sufficient income. This may or may not be $1500 USD per month, but that's a good place to start. You have to show this for the last three months, not for 12 months. So you have many different options to accomplish this. First, if you are receiving $1500/month, just submit the last three months of statements after having deposited this money in your checking account. This will do the trick. Mind you, you don't have to show that you are spending $1500/month, only that you have $1500, preferably more, in your checking account for the last three months before applying. Optionally, you don't have to show that you have $1500 or more in your checking account at the end of the month if your statements show that have been depositing at least that amount each month. So you can work it either way. These statements you submit will usually start four months before you apply, since they come out end of month. 
Another option is to show that you have enough capital to live for another year in Mexico. We do this by simply having our broker at Multiva write a letter to immigration stating that we have more than X pesos in our Mexican investment account. This probably doesn't pertain to your situation. 
Finally, as a last resort, one can "churn" a checking account to make it look like you have been depositing and spending more than the minimum each month. This takes a little doing and some help from family or friends in the US. Without going into this much more, you are basically making payments from your checking account, then redepositing that money back into your account sufficient to show the required amount of monthly deposits. It doesn't sound like you would need to consider this either. 
The main point is that it is only the last three months each year when you apply or renew that you need to present these documents/fulfill on paper these requirements to immigration. From what you have said, in your case it shouldn't be difficult.
And once again, you can avoid the hassle of applying for work papers by just ignoring the whole issue as long as your clients are outside of Mexico and they pay you outside of Mexico. Technically this may not be totally kosher, but practically there is no way for anyone to find out less your bragging about it.


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## fab4004

ok sounds good. 

and what visa could I apply for ?

the fm2 or fm3 ?

but not the retired one as i'm far away from 50 years old haha

thanks buddy


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## El Toro Furioso

There is no "retired" one. You will probably want to start with an FM3. An FM2 costs more and limits you somewhat in how much time you can spend outside of Mexico, what nationality of car you can own, etc. An FM2 would be the way to go if you wanted to get Mexican citizenship ASAP. Otherwise, FM3.


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## fab4004

for the 1500$/month for ex. 

I earn around that from my full time job in canada. can I take bank statements of that and show them that ?

or it has to be someting else since if i'm in mexico i wont recive those.

thanks your really helpful !


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## El Toro Furioso

fab4004 said:


> for the 1500$/month for ex.
> 
> I earn around that from my full time job in canada. can I take bank statements of that and show them that ?
> 
> or it has to be someting else since if i'm in mexico i wont recive those.
> 
> thanks your really helpful !


They have to be the statements for the last three months (which I said are usually starting four months before application). If the Dad isn't tossing $1500 simoleans your way each month, you may need to churn your account to keep the cash flow up to speed on your statements. Or if you have savings, transfer some savings into your checking for the months just before you apply for your FM3. You work on line, so you will have a color printer. I don't know of any banks that don't let you print out your statements on line. Just print out the last three months in high-res color and you're good to go.


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## RVGRINGO

Actually, the FM3 is defined as "No Inmigrante Visitante Rentista" (Non-immigrant Retired or Pensioned Visitor; not 'renter') among the several varieties that can be issued. As such, some young folks can have difficulty qualifying as 'retired' and may have to apply under "Otro" (Other) and specify that they wish to explore Mexico for longer than 180 days, study the culture, be a student of something or even as an artist (bring your portfolio), etc.


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