Mexico’s National Institute of Immigration has continued to support a highly successful appointment scheduling system for Mexican citizens. Interestingly, this system is being enhanced a the same time that the system in the US has been shut down (see CPB Cancels Appointment Scheduling Program.
The system was previously launched in 2021, later suspended in August 2022 for maintenance and improvement work, and then reintroduced in September 2024 and has been promoted by Mexperience as the best way to provide an online appointment-booking system for applicants who need to file common immigration procedures.
According to Mexico’s INM (National Institute of Immigration) applicants must create an account online using the INM portal, request the filing type and complete the online forms, and then search the calendar for available dates.
Many, but not all, procedures can be booked online. The INM’s brief names 18 specific procedures that can be filed online, which cover the following types of applications and filings:
- Exchange of a Residency Visa issued in your passport at a Mexican consulate to a Residency Card in Mexico.
- Applications for residency via Family Unit.
- Applications for residency based of Humanitarian grounds.
- Change of status from Temporary Student to Temporary Resident.
- Change of status from Temporary to Permanent residency.
- Renewals of existing residency cards.
- Replacement of lost/damaged residency cards.
- Notifications of changes to personal circumstances. (You must attend an appointment in person to file the Notifications; they cannot be filed solely online.)
- Request for work permissions on existing Temporary Residency cards.
