Mexico: Online Appointment System for Immigration Filings to be Reactivated for Certain Applications

• Affected filings. The system will open for the following types of immigration applications, among others: family-based temporary and permanent residence; residence based on humanitarian reasons; change from temporary to permanent resident; renewals; post-arrival registrations; notification of changes of residential address, work address, civil status, citizenship or name; and duplicate Resident Identity Cards.
• Filings not included. Notably, the system will not open for certain employer-based applications, such as Temporary Residence Visas for Remunerated Activities or Corporate Registrations. Foreign nationals and employers will continue to submit these applications without appointments (typically through their authorized attorneys/third parties) or according to the process established by each INM branch. 

Starting on September 17, 2024, foreign nationals and employers seeking to submit affected applications to the INM (in any city and INM branch) will need to schedule an online appointment. 

The online appointment system will reduce the time that foreign nationals need to wait in line for services at the INM. However, appointment backlogs may be possible during the initial stages of re-implementation of the system due to high demand. 

In May 2021, the INM introduced an online appointment system and gradually expanded it to more immigration application types and INM branches. However, the system has been offline since March 2022, after several months of significant backlogs of online appointments. The change comes amid the final months of Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s presidency, in line with the government and INM’s digitalization efforts. 

It is not yet known if the INM will roll out additional application types in the online appointment system. Fragomen will be actively monitoring the system and reaching out to clients that are impacted by this change. We will report on any developments.