Relocating
Overseas
What Is Involved When
You Have Decided You Are Ready ~ By Alan K. Skinner
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Ready
The process
of relocating to a foreign country can be a harrowing experience, but it
can also be fun and rewarding - especially if it's done right. In order
to make a successful transition you have to cover all aspects of the relocation
process meticulously. It takes planning months before the actual relocation
and continues even after having arrived and settled in to your new environment.
For this purpose, making a checklist should be the first step, jotting
down all the factors that will be involved in making your lifestyle change,
and making sure you do it right. We'll give you a run-down on the main
points that you - and your family - have to take into consideration.
Do Your
Homework
Before you
even begin to think of the details of moving, you should do some intensive
research on where it is you're going and knowing what to expect. If you
begin researching through books and the Internet beforehand you and your
family will be well prepared for dealing with the inevitable effects of
culture shock. Your research should not only focus on day-to-day living
and working, but should also aim at picking out options for important choices
to be made at a later date, i.e. the right area to live, your children's
schooling, medical insurance plans and options, facilities and amenities
pertaining to you or your family's particular interests and hobbies, etc.
Unless you begin this process well before you actually arrive in Mexico
City, you may find that you will be rushed and overwhelmed by the move,
especially if you have to think about work at the same time.
If you are
not relocating with a company and have decided to make a lifestyle change
of your own accord, you will of course have to add to the above research
list a comprehensive job search so as to help you enter the country with
perhaps one foot in the door. Again, the Internet is a key. With the hundreds
of job sites, relocation experts and forums on Mexico that you can click
into, you can perhaps find something or at least know where to look and
feed off the experience of those who have gone before you, as well as the
experience of the experts themselves. Considering the amount of on-line
book stores, searching for and buying the right books also shouldn't be
a problem. |
| If you
decide you want to relocate overseas, then the Greek Islands might be the
place. The aqua-blue water and clear oxygenated air, the food, the history,
the white sea cliffs and the quality of light - all blend together to make
one feel more at ease. |
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Think About
Your Visa
While the research
process continues, the most important step is to figure out the legal requirements
of your move. This means knowing what sort of visa you will need and how
you will go about getting it. There are basically three visas to consider:
the FMT tourist visa, the FM3 working visa, and the FM2 residency visa.
There are also different ways of going about the acquisition of a visa.
For example, the most recommended way is to simply acquire a tourist (FMT)
visa and take care of the process of acquiring the more complicated working
visa (FM3) while you're in the country, and preferably with the help of
an immigration lawyer who will be more effective and will know the ins
and outs of the whole business. What money you spend will be worth the
time and hassle you'll save.
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| The ruins
of Tulum, Yucatan, Mexico, 100 miles south of Cancun, were built
around 1200 A.D. The city was different from other Mayan cities because
it was walled. When the Spanish first sited the city in 1518, they compared
it with the Spanish city of Seville, because of the tall tower that you
see in the photo above. The city became an important center for the Mayans
in the 19th century with the outbreak of the War of the Castes in 1847.
In the War of the Castes, the Mayans, supported by the British in Belize,
tried to seperate from Mexico: 200,000 Mayans surprised the Mexican-Spanish
population and almost pushed them out of the Yucatan; the Mexican-Spanish
population held on in the cities of Merida and Campeche. The Mayans, on
the verge of victory, dropped their arms and left the battlefield to plant
corn, the sacred crop of the Mayans. |
| The reprieve
allowed the Mexican-Spanish to re-take the Yucatan in the 1850s, though
the reprisals againist the Mayans would continue until the early 20th century.
Tulum was one of the last cities to fall to the Mexican-Spanish. It was
captured in 1890 by a woman high priestess, Maria Uicab, of the Mayan
"Speaking Cross"cult, who held the city until the early 20th century. |
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Keep
in mind, however, that unless you are from what is considered by Mexican
authorities to be an "unrestricted" country (European, North American,
Japan, Australia, for example), this process is not recommended. In fact,
if this is the case, you will be required to obtain your FM3 or FM2 visa
through a Mexican consulate in your country of origin before you can actually
enter the country. If you are relocating with your company, your company
should take full responsibility for your FM3 process, using its own company
lawyer for the task. If you are not relocating with a company, yet enter
the country and find work with a company, your company will be responsible
for acquiring your FM3.
Put Your
Documents In Order
Considering
this process, make sure you know what documents you will need beforehand.
This may include you university diploma(s) that should be apostilled from
the institution from whence it/they were issued. This diploma and apostille
then need to be translated and verified by a notary. Obviously, a valid
passport is crucial. As obvious as it sounds, be sure to check its expiry
date.
You should
also make sure you know the documents that will be needed for other eventualities,
such as the transferal of your children to a new school (again, you'll
need an official apostille from the relevant public office for education
in the country where the child was last studying), health insurance (a
recent medical report), pets (a vaccination certificate stating that your
pet has been vaccinated against rabies, hepatitis, pip and leptospirosis
and an official health certificate that must be issued by a veterinarian
no more than 72 hours before entering Mexico), auto (valid driver's license,
international credit card, birth certificate, passport, visa, original
and copies of the vehicle state registration certificate, auto insurance
to be obtained at customs and a permit that will be valid for 6 months).
Thus make sure you know all the documents you will need for every eventuality,
otherwise it could be a grand hassle once you're in Mexico. |
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Get Moving
The next step
is to begin thinking about the moving process itself. The moving process
involves selecting a good moving service, and it's essential that you base
your choice on recommendations from people who have worked with a particular
moving company before you make your choice. One thing to make sure is that
you are not bringing in illegal substances like organic goods, alcohol,
drugs or firearms into the country. You will be required to sign an official
document certifying this. You are also not supposed to bring in any new
goods, what you bring in should be your used household items, nothing else.
Make sure to insure what it is you are moving and keep a record of the
items, as things may be lost along the way, damaged or broken. You never
know, even with the best companies. Besides, you will need to provide Mexican
customs with an inventory of the goods you are bringing in.
The Relocation
Process
Having done
your homework, it is a very good idea to contact a relocation specialist
before you move to Mexico. If you are relocating with a company, your company
could provide you with a relocation specialist, as the services of a relocation
specialist is sometimes included in the company's budget for the expatriate
relocation package, but not always. Relocation specialists are very handy
in that they offer you the chance to make your relocation to Mexico as
smooth as possible for you and your family. They generally offer look and
see tours to help you figure out where you'd like to live (it would be
ideal if you could make a pre-move visit), and they also go into home searches
to help you find a place once you've figured out where you'd like to live.
They take charge of the hassles and details of setting up the house, utilities
and communications, etc. If you are planning on leaving the country they
can also take care of the sale or lease of your home. One thing to note
about most relocation companies is that they generally prefer to work with
companies as clients, rather than individuals. So if you are being relocated
through your company, make sure you know if your company has included a
relocation specialist in your relocation budget..
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| If
you are not planning on using a relocation service, you can hire the services
of a real estate agent, but make sure you go about this task upon recommendations
from other people who have relocated to Mexico. Do your homework, search
around, check out on-line resources and forums. You can find a house or
an apartment depending on your needs, but you should know that the cost
of living in Mexico is not cheap, despite the misconceptions of many foreigners.
As a foreigner, you will also need a guarantor (aval) to underwrite your
lease contract. This is often underrated by potential lessees, but is very
important nevertheless. Note that your company can act as a guarantor if
need be.
Where To
Live - Where Not To Live
There are certain
things to look out for in picking a home in Mexico. Proximity of home to
work and also your children's school is very important in a city the size
of Mexico's capital. Traffic is often bumper-to-bumper, distances can be
long. Making sure your work, school and home are within close vicinity
of each other (as well as other amenities like sports clubs, shopping centers,
supermarket, etc.) can significantly improve your quality of life. Another
thing to note is pollution. There are parts of the city with residential
areas that have less congestion, more parks, less traffic. Added to this
factor is the ever-pervasive problem of insecurity in Mexico City. The
crime-rate is high and you always have to keep in mind the safety and security
of yourself and your family. Certain areas are safer than others, but even
then, always make sure you take precautions. |
| The Carribean
Islands are another popular place to relocate: Peter Island in the British
Virgin Islands was the hideaway of Henry Morgan, Sir Francis Drake and
John Hawkins - all pirates of the Carribean. Imagine the photo above with
those characters and that beauty. |
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Schooling
When choosing
a school, make sure you go and visit all the schools that you have picked
out and that you are given guided tours into all the facilities. Also see
and compare the curriculums of the various schools and make sure they offer
the quality and facilities you are expecting. Although Mexico City has
excellent private and bilingual schools, one should always know all facets
of such an important decision as concerns the education of their children.
Job Search
In terms of
finding a job in Mexico City, this often depends on whom you know as well
as how good your credentials are. Being bilingual is always a big bonus,
especially with a knowledge of English, while other languages like French,
German and Italian may also come in very handy considering the number and
size of European companies doing business in Mexico.
For executives
looking to change jobs or acquire new jobs, the best way to go about it
would be through a headhunter. There are some excellent international headhunting
services and companies spread throughout Mexico. Another good place to
begin are on-line Internet employment sites and forums where you can find
information and also interact with others who may know of opportunities
and also exchange advice and experience. Make sure to also contact chambers
of commerce, be they foreign or local, as well as checking out the daily
classifieds in Mexico's various newspapers and their respective websites.
To Sum Up:
Enjoy
Although your
homework before and during your move will have acquainted you with what
to expect in Mexico in terms of culture shock, nothing will inure you until
you actually live and experience Mexico for yourself. While the differences
take time, patience and an open mind to come to terms with, having become
acclimatized, you will find it the most rewarding experience of your life.
As mentioned above, crime, pollution, traffic are ever-pervasive factors,
yet the subtleties of becoming acquainted with social and business etiquette,
style of living, language, culture, arts and crafts, the unique multi-layered
history the country offers, reflected in the art, architecture and even
in the faces of the people, all of this is just waiting to be discovered
and what awaits you is a veritable feast for the senses and mind. Sure,
we have to consider the itsy bitsy details of this whole complicated relocation
process, and we have to do our homework assiduously, but you will understand
once you have settled in, that you will experience the satisfaction and
fulfillment of having relieved yourself of the panic, while at the same
time having given yourself the time and knowledge to take upon yourself
the adventure that is waiting to be discovered.
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Alan K.
Skinner is the Director General of SolutionsAbroad.com, Galileo 20 Suite
101 Polanco, Mexico, DF 11560 Tel. 5280-2223
Fax. 5281-4117
http://www.solutionsabroad.com |
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