Additional Government Officials Resign Causing Further Application Delays in Mexico City

At a Glance

• The head immigration official and several directors of the National Immigration Institute in Mexico City, who adjudicate immigration applications for the Mexico City branch, have resigned.    
• As a result, employers and foreign nationals should expect processing delays of several additional weeks for new temporary residence visas, permanent residence applications, renewals, post-arrival registrations and corporate registrations filed in Mexico City.

The situation

The head immigration official of Mexico City and several other immigration directors, who adjudicate immigration applications for this branch, have resigned. The National Immigration Institute (INM) has not appointed their replacements yet.

Impact

Employers and foreign nationals should expect processing delays of several additional weeks for new temporary residence visas, permanent residence applications, renewals, post-arrival registrations and corporate registrations filed in Mexico City.

Employers and foreign nationals should account for processing delays when planning their trips to Mexico and should continue working with their immigration professional to develop strategies to mitigate the delays.

Background

The Mexico City branch is the INM office that receives the highest volume of immigration applications of any INM branch in Mexico. A timeline of events impacting immigration processing times in Mexico City since 2018 is depicted below:

Looking ahead

The Mexican government is focusing its efforts on controlling irregular migration in response to negotiations with the United States on increased border enforcement, and also reviewing budget allocations as part of the recently-approved Federal Austerity Law. As a result, Fragomen expects that the INM may undergo additional restructuring and staffing changes, likely causing further immigration processing delays, potentially new immigration criteria, and other related issues.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to mexicocityinfo@fragomen.com.