I understand that under an FM-2 there is a limit of a 18 months allowed outside the country in a 5 year period.
I'm an American married to a Mexican. We plan to move to Mexico and live in my wife's house. I'm a consultant and plan to continue to work 3 - 6 - 9 month gigs outside of Mexico for several more years. Clearly, I'm likely to reach the 18-month limit in 2 or 3 years; before I've resided under the FM-2 for 5 years and can become an inmigrado (whereupon, I presume, I would become free of the 18-month limit).
Is there any way around this 18-month limit?
Could I expect to get a waiver given my circumstances? I really do expect to be domiciled in Mexico. I'm only leaving for work overseas; and, at that, will primarily/exclusively be working in a country other than that of my previous domicile. It's not at all like my residence in Mexico is a sham.
Alternatively, could I successfully evade counting much of my time abroad? Ordinarily, I'd expect that my departures and returns would be recorded on my FM-2; thus, upon crossing the 18-month point I'd probably be "busted". Could I travel to the boarder zone and then cross-into the US as-if I were a day-tripper; travel to a US airport and fly to my work destination without having an exit event recorded in my FM-2 book? Then, I'd reverse the process some months later (i.e., fly back to a US airport near the boarder; cross into Mexico as a day-tripper, then travel back home in the interior)? I imagine it would be hard to gather evidence of my absence since my wife and our home would remain in Mexico with the usual records of utility bills and so forth.
Thanks
Mark
I'm an American married to a Mexican. We plan to move to Mexico and live in my wife's house. I'm a consultant and plan to continue to work 3 - 6 - 9 month gigs outside of Mexico for several more years. Clearly, I'm likely to reach the 18-month limit in 2 or 3 years; before I've resided under the FM-2 for 5 years and can become an inmigrado (whereupon, I presume, I would become free of the 18-month limit).
Is there any way around this 18-month limit?
Could I expect to get a waiver given my circumstances? I really do expect to be domiciled in Mexico. I'm only leaving for work overseas; and, at that, will primarily/exclusively be working in a country other than that of my previous domicile. It's not at all like my residence in Mexico is a sham.
Alternatively, could I successfully evade counting much of my time abroad? Ordinarily, I'd expect that my departures and returns would be recorded on my FM-2; thus, upon crossing the 18-month point I'd probably be "busted". Could I travel to the boarder zone and then cross-into the US as-if I were a day-tripper; travel to a US airport and fly to my work destination without having an exit event recorded in my FM-2 book? Then, I'd reverse the process some months later (i.e., fly back to a US airport near the boarder; cross into Mexico as a day-tripper, then travel back home in the interior)? I imagine it would be hard to gather evidence of my absence since my wife and our home would remain in Mexico with the usual records of utility bills and so forth.
Thanks
Mark