We sure don't see 20 million "gringos" in Mexico , you nasty ass turd world
****s
"Jose" <pablo31@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:a478d916-e95a-432f-9ba3-352e4eae8c8d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
PA - Feb 2, 2008
Diary Entry by Jim Scherrer
As normal law abiding folks, we have been treated like friends, like
family, almost like royalty ever since we began making our semi-annual
visits to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in 1984, when we purchased a condo
in Mismaloya, about six miles south of Vallarta. Back in the 80īs, it
didn't take much more than photo identification in order to get a
Mexican FMT or tourist visa. Today, a pass****t or certified copy of a
birth certificate is required for an FMT visitor visa. These visas are
good for staying up to 90 days in Mexico; however you can ask for and
often receive a 180 day FMT visa. There is no charge for these tourist
visas and they are easily obtained at the departure air****t or at the
Mexican customs office when arriving by vehicle. Upon entering Mexico,
the immigration agents stamp your copy of the visa and record your
entry into their computerized data base with information regarding the
length of your stay and where you'll be staying. Upon leaving the
country, you return your copy of the visa and your departure time is
entered into their system. In other words, visiting Vallarta for less
than six months is about as simple as it could be.
Now, to put the above Mexican treatment of American and Canadian
tourists requesting visas into perspective, let's compare it to what
Mexicans must do to legally visit the US. This can be best done by
telling the following story which is based on personal experience and
is typical of American immigration practice throughout Mexico.
For many years, we thoroughly enjoyed our vacations in PV, so much so,
that in 1997 we bought a beautiful villa and decided to make Vallarta
our permanent residence. We have had a lovely couple working in the
villa for the past eight years. They are a kind, intelligent, clean,
honest, and church going couple with two of their three children now
attending the University of Guadalajara. As a bonus for their many
years of hard work and loyalty, last year we offered the woman an all
expenses paid one week vacation to visit us in the Lake Tahoe area
where we spend the summers. She had never been to the States and
needless to say, she was very excited and looked forward to the
trip.
We called the US Consulate in Guadalajara to determine the required
procedure for Mexicans to visit the US. First, a current pass****t is
required, so within a month, she had obtained her new pass****t. We
were also informed that she needed a copy of her bank account
statement in Mexico, a copy of her marriage license, a copy of her
property deed, employment records, and a letter of invitation from us
would be helpful. We wrote a half page typed letter of invitation,
thanking her for the years of dedication and service, and then helped
her assemble all of the required do***ents into a single file folder.
Again we contacted the US Consulate, informed them that all of the
required do***entation was in order, and scheduled an appointment for
her interview.
On the day of her appointment, dressed in her Sunday best, she took
the folder full of required do***ents and the cover letter of
invitation to the US Consulate in Guadalajara which is a five hour
drive from Vallarta. The US Consulate was packed with hundreds of
Mexicans and they put her in a line with about 50 others, probably all
having the same appointment time. She indicated that not a single
person of the 50 Mexicans ahead of her was granted a visa. Finally,
after an hour and a half, she made it to the front of the line. They
interviewed her for less than two minutes, said her letter of
invitation wasn't notarized, and basically threw her out just like the
previous fifty people. Of course, during our phone conversation, they
never mentioned a requirement of notarization of the letter of
invitation when they listed the requirements. In fact, the letter was
not even a requirement, but only a helpful addition to her list of
requirements. In all probability, the Consulate handed out very few,
if any, visas for travel to the US that day. From what our friend
witnessed during her two hours at the US Consulate, they granted zero
visas that day.
http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=5932
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