# I Did It!



## ExpatEmigre (Nov 22, 2015)

I received my Residente Temporal "canje" visa today! 
Yay 
I have to say, the folks at the consulate in DC were an absolute dream!
If anyone is keeping track of easier places to get things done, I wholeheartedly recommend adding the consular section of the embassy in DC.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

ExpatEmigre said:


> I received my Residente Temporal "canje" visa today!
> Yay
> I have to say, the folks at the consulate in DC were an absolute dream!
> If anyone is keeping track of easier places to get things done, I wholeheartedly recommend adding the consular section of the embassy in DC.


Congratulations and ¡felicidades!


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## ExpatEmigre (Nov 22, 2015)

Thanks! This consulate actually responds to emails. At least the visa section does. Evidently, that is somewhat rare.


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## NoVaDamer (Mar 10, 2012)

*Congratulations!*

I plan to use the consulate in DC, too, later this year. I was shocked when they responded to an e-mail recently; that was a good sign. Could you say a little more about your experience? How many visits and how long did it take? Did they ask for anything different than you expected? I only mention that because I have heard stories about how much leeway local consular officials have. How difficult was it to get an appointment? I will be applying for a permanente, but most of the admin should be the same. Thanks for any detail you can share!


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## ExpatEmigre (Nov 22, 2015)

NoVaDamer said:


> I plan to use the consulate in DC, too, later this year. I was shocked when they responded to an e-mail recently; that was a good sign. Could you say a little more about your experience? How many visits and how long did it take? Did they ask for anything different than you expected? I only mention that because I have heard stories about how much leeway local consular officials have. How difficult was it to get an appointment? I will be applying for a permanente, but most of the admin should be the same. Thanks for any detail you can share!


One visit. I was there slightly more than an hour. 
If you're not on a pension & not traditionally employed (I'm self-employed), the economic solvency requirements are a bit different. They wanted my latest tax return. But if you have the minimum account balance for the past year, or pay stubs from a job or pension, it should be more straightforward. The specific sums required for permanente differ somewhat from those for temporal, but, as you said, I imagine the administrative process is largely the same.

Obtaining an appointment was exceptionally easy. I emailed last week to inquire if they had an appointment open today & I received my choice of three slots.

If you email in advance, you can ask them to review your application & supporting documents before you actually make the appointment. They'll tell you if anything is missing or awry, or if you need something slightly different. My consular interview itself was exceptionally brief (just 2 questions). (I did have a somewhat lengthy correspondence before the appointment, but my impression is that it is standard for the interview to be brief.)


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## NoVaDamer (Mar 10, 2012)

*Excellent!*

Thanks for the additional info; sounds like it will be easy. I will certainly take advantage of the opportunity to have them check my paperwork before I visit. Is the "consular interview" something in addition to the review of your paperwork? Can you elaborate on the questions, or is that not permitted?


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## ExpatEmigre (Nov 22, 2015)

NoVaDamer said:


> Thanks for the additional info; sounds like it will be easy. I will certainly take advantage of the opportunity to have them check my paperwork before I visit. Is the "consular interview" something in addition to the review of your paperwork? Can you elaborate on the questions, or is that not permitted?


A consular interview is required. But basically that can be as simple as answering a few generic questions while handing over your documents. It occurs at the submission of the application. The purpose of the interview is to satisfy the consular official that you meet the requirements, so in a given scenario, the extent and number of questions might vary. But during the time I was there, an Indian (from South Asia) couple and a Chinese man (whose Spanish pronunciation was PHENOMENAL!!!) arrived & no one was subject to a demanding interview (although I left before they were processed fully). 

The two questions I was asked:
"You're applying for a temporary resident visa?" 
"There is no work authorisation application. How will you support yourself?"

As long as you meet the requirements and have ready proof, I wouldn't sweat the interview at all. Irregularities might reasonably prompt more questions. 

Everyone with whom I dealt was pleasant, friendly, and helpful. The person processing my application spoke English without a trace of a foreign accent.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

ExpatEmigre said:


> A consular interview is required. But basically that can be as simple as answering a few generic questions while handing over your documents. It occurs at the submission of the application. The purpose of the interview is to satisfy the consular official that you meet the requirements, so in a given scenario, the extent and number of questions might vary. But during the time I was there, an Indian (from South Asia) couple and a Chinese man (whose Spanish pronunciation was PHENOMENAL!!!) arrived & no one was subject to a demanding interview (although I left before they were processed fully).
> 
> The two questions I was asked:
> "You're applying for a temporary resident visa?"
> ...


It sounds like the Mexican consulates in the US are imitating the US consulates in Mexico by requiring an "interview". After Mexicans have all their paperwork together for a US visa application they get a short interview with a US immigration officer. After the interview the US officer either approves or denies the application. The fee is retained either way. I was told once that the approval rate is about 80%. Giving these interviews is the primary occupation of the consulates in terms of the person-hours required.


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## ExpatEmigre (Nov 22, 2015)

Just to add to what TG posted, I was not asked to pay until the agent's supervisor approved my application. This leads me to suspect that at least this individual was not charging rejected applicants. Note that this is just supposition on my part and may prove inaccurate, so I wouldn't rely on it if the $36 fee might cause a hardship in the event of a declined application.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

ExpatEmigre said:


> Just to add to what TG posted, I was not asked to pay until the agent's supervisor approved my application. This leads me to suspect that at least this individual was not charging rejected applicants. Note that this is just supposition on my part and may prove inaccurate, so I wouldn't rely on it if the $36 fee might cause a hardship in the event of a declined application.


Mexico seems to collect the visa fee as the last step in the process, at least that is the way it has been for renewals in Mexico. The US requires the visa fee with the application and doesn't refund it if the application is denied.


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## buzzbar (Feb 9, 2013)

TundraGreen said:


> After the interview the US officer either approves or denies the application. I was told once that the approval rate is about 80%. Giving these interviews is the primary occupation of the consulates in terms of the person-hours required.


That approval rate struck me as being very high, given the number of anecdotal stories you hear from locals whose plans for visiting USA were dashed due to being refused a visa (according to them always for no good reason.) So I checked the stats put out by the State Department and in fact tourist visa applications by Mexicans in 2014 had a success rate of 84.4%! Surprises me.

I applied for a US visa in Tijuana a few months back – an experience I suspect would be as far removed in scale from ExpatEmigre’s experience in the Mexican Consulate as is possible. It was a totally impressive demonstration of how to smoothly control the mass movement of people through the various stages. There were no less than about 700 people being dealt with at any given time, each under a direction relating to where they needed to stand, sit or go. As an example of organization and efficiency, it was something!


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