operation recovery -- mexican style

I may have violated one of Mexpatriate's prime journalistic directives. I did not tell you the full facts when I briefed you about Operation Recovery in a tale of two wallets on Tuesday.

The problem may be in the operation's name. I am recovering nothing. What was in my wallet (along with my wallet) is long gone. We are now in the replacement stage. And the most important piece of identification that I need to replace is my Mexican permanent resident visa -- my green card.

Legally, I have to carry the card with me because it proves I have status to remain in the country. And, without it, I cannot leave or re-enter the country.

Because it is so important, it topped my list of pieces of identification that needed to be replace. The afternoon in early May when I lost my wallet, I performed an internet search and easily found the procedure for replacing my card. The INM website includes a section on "The Loss of a Mexican Temporary or Permanent Residence Card" with a detailed list of what I would need to start the process.

I had heard a rumor that getting a replacement card was just as difficult as the original application process. It wasn't. At least, it hasn't been.

According to the website, to apply, I needed to go to the nearest Immigration office (the one in San Patricio) with:

1. My passport
2. Identification
3. "Travel documents that prove you have a condition to stay in Mexico"
4. The original receipt for my lost card
5. An application completed on the INM website
6. Photographs ("2.5 x 3 cm, two face frontal view, and one of the right side of the face, white background with forehead and ears uncovers, no glasses")

Even though the list is clear on what is required for the process, two items briefly confounded me.

I was not certain where I had filed the receipt for my original card. One thing I learned early on in Mexico is never to trash a bill or receipt. The need for those little pieces of paper crop up frequently here.

It turned out I had filed it in a folder labeled "Mexico -- Permanent Resident" that also included the ream of financial documents I was required to produce years ago. For once, my forethought actually worked.

What baffled me was the requirement for "travel documents that prove you have a condition to stay in Mexico." Because I live here permanently, I could not think of what would meet that requirement. What could I use to prove I lived here?
And then it hit me. The document I present everywhere to prove my residential status. My CFE (electric) bill.

Armed with all that, I showed up in the Immigration office the morning after I lost my wallet. The initial interview went well. I had guessed correctly that my CFE bill would be sufficient to prove I lived here and was not traveling anywhere -- at least, not without a replacement permanent resident card.

Then, the inevitable requirements that are not on the list were revealed. I needed copies of everything on the list, of course. That was easily done at the paper store around the corner.

I also needed a Mexican citizen with a voter card to be a witness that I am who I am. The choice was obvious. My son, Omar.

After getting my copies, I called him, and he showed up to sign a series of documents that swore he knew me and that I was the kind of guy who would keep his nose clean -- most of the time.

The immigration official told me the documents would be sent to Guadalajara for review. I would hear about the next step in two weeks.

It turned out to be closer to a month because of staff shortages due to COVID-19. I received an email to come to the office with my passport and photographs -- and to be fingerprinted. 

For some reason, I thought I would then get my card. Not so. The official told me the only thing that had happened so far is that Guadalajara had verified my information, and the application process would proceed to the next stage.

After fingerprinting me and receiving a new set of photographs, she told me she would call me when the card had been issued. In two weeks.

That was just last week. I think. This is just another example of time slipping away with no meaning while we wait out the virus.

What has been consistent with this process is that the immigration official I have been working with in San Patricio has been efficient, effective, and professional. It also helps that whenever I enter her office, she treats me as if I were a member of her family. I am not comfortable dealing with forms. She has made the experience, if not pleasant, as least bearable.

At one point, I was a bit impatient with the process. I still have two items I must complete in Oregon (plus a Homeland Security interview in Los Angeles that I keep putting off). But looking at how the virus cases are yoyo-ing both here and in The States, I am not certain I want the process to speed up.

This saga should be coming to an end soon. Then, I can make my decision to stuff myself into an airplane.