working in Mexico

facebook post wrote:This is one of the more straightforward processes in Mexico without much variety. One thing to clear up is that a work visa isn't a visa unto itself - it is either something you add to your residency or a way that you qualify for residency in the first place.
Starting from scratch. You can gain residency with permission to work if an employer offers you a job and sponsors you. The employer must be registered with INM to do this as well as maintain that registration by renewing each year. In my experience, not a lot of employers keep this up to date (so do ask about it if you get a job offer).
The steps are:
a. Employer gathers some information from you the employee and submits an application to INM. This takes about 30 minutes to complete at many offices around the country.
b). If the offer is authorized, the employer receives a PDF with a number on it, called a NUT (numero unico de tramite)
From, here the steps are similar to what you do for residency on your own. You make an appointment at a Mexican consulate (outside Mexico of course) and bring your passport, the NUT, 44 USD, a form with your personal information, and a photo. They'll place a one-time entry visa into your passport and when you land in Mexico, this turns into a temporary residency card with permission to work. As far as I have seen, they can only give you one year for this first step, but it is then renewable later. The one year temporary residency costs 4413 pesos in 2021.
What if I already have residency but not work permission?
This is the second most common way to gain work permission, adding it to the temporary residency you already have.
There are two ways - employer sponsored, or independent.
An employer that is registered with immigration can offer you a job and you can use that to request work permission to be added to your residency card. The employer still has to be registered and authorized by INM to do so, but in this case you don't need to go to a consulate. Everything is filed at a local INM office in Mexico. The cost for this is 3314 pesos.
Going independent is a more involved process that requires you deal with SAT (the tax agency) first. This is a much longer write-up so I'll just cover the basics. You first need to get an RFC (taxpayer ID), then set up as an independent within the tax system. There are a variety of ways to do this but easiest is called a Person Fisica (just you, not a corporation). To ask INM to add work permission, you'll show them that you are independently employed and are behaving as a good citizen by showing you pay your taxes through SAT.
My advice is that if you are being offered a job and want to use it as a means to gain residency or work permission, whether you are coming to Mexico or already here, do look into the employer a bit to make sure they are registered with INM. I find it quite common for employers to be confused or misinformed on this point. An employer that is registered and up-to-date must have a Constancia del Empleador - ask to see it.
As always, feel free to message me if you have any questions on immigration matters or need help.