I believe you need to prove income of around $35K per year to get legal permission to live in Mexico.
There’s some kind of rule about having $23,000 in savings, or 300 days of minimum wage (by their standards) in your possession.
The one factor that someone mentioned to a couple of years ago...when you get a 60-day or 90-day visa...you better renew it on time or plan on exiting the country as required. You don’t want to have any Mexican cop standing at your door about overstaying your visa.
What were the old rules?? I once knew them but they have faded over the years in my mind. I’m afraid they have faded on the immigration books as well.
But I recall no one in the US could apply. You had to apply at a US consulate in your native country. There was an income requirement meant to assure you would not go onto the government dole. There were strict background investigations that covered work history, criminal, moral turpitude, financial history, and more. It was tough and the process took anywhere from 2-5 years. But in the end the US received a first rate immigrant,