Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - During a recent ceremony in which members of the foreign community were issued residency permits, U.S. Consular Agent Kelly Trainor said Puerto Vallarta continues to be one of the safest destinations for international visitors as well as for expatriates who have made the city their home.

"In general, Americans living in Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit feel safe. The U.S. Department of State has published a new document of zones that can be problematic, but Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit are considered safe; there are no out-of-the-ordinary incidents, the area is not unsafe when common-sense precautions are exercised as they would be in any other place."

The Consul shared her personal experience, telling the story of why she decided to move here 30 years ago. "I fell in love with a Mexican that I still love and Puerto Vallarta became my home. I can tell you that this is a very beautiful place to live with very nice people and a healthy environment."

Trainor congratulated the new American residents of Puerto Vallarta on their decision to call Mexico 'home,' and urged them to be part of the community that has welcomed them. "I highly recommend that you divest yourselves of prejudices; do not say, as we tend to say to children, 'in my day...' or when I was a child...' because these are different times, and this is another place, so we must be willing to accept new customs; but it is also possible to contribute the best of American values to this community."

She added that it is very important for Americans who decide to live here to learn some Spanish, get involved with the community, and make friends with their neighbors. "Fully integrating into society will surely make life easier in a place which is already hospitable."

A Very Sought-After Region

Along with the Lake Chapala area, Puerto Vallarta is one of the two regions with the most North American residents in Jalisco, since "it is considered a safe, pleasant and hospitable place; It has many advantages for an American, it is a well-known place, it is not very far from the cities on the West Coast of the United States, and it treats foreigners very well," the Consul added.

Afterwards, the Jalisco federal delegate of the National Institute of Migration, Ricardo Vera Lira, personally handed over 150 (of the 300 in total) temporary and permanent residence permits to the foreign citizens, mainly Americans and Canadians, who had met all the requirements to legally stay in Mexico and attended the ceremony.

In his address, the official congratulated those whom he gave residence cards, saying, "you are now part of our society, we are proud that you have chosen to live in this paradise that is full of culture and natural beauty."

He specified that the three orders of government "will watch over your safety so we can live together in harmony; the dissolution of borders creates new bonds of brotherhood and forges a new future."

For her part, the delegate of Canada in Jalisco, Sabrina Yang, congratulated the members of the Canadian community that received their documents, for having chosen this destination to spend a season or reside permanently.