April 3, 2008 - The Mexican Immigration Service (Instituto Nacional de Migracion or "INM") is implementing changes to its immigration procedures, as stipulated by the INM in late 2007. The major impact of these changes will be felt by our corporate clients sponsoring foreign nationals to work in Mexico as these recent changes to Mexico's immigration procedures may cause processing delays.

Previously, companies sponsoring foreign national employees to work in Mexico could file applications with the INM Central Immigration Office in Mexico City, which provided more consistent processing and timeframes. Under the new system, applications must be filed at the INM Regional Delegation where the company's office is based in Mexico.

Unfortunately, the various INM Regional Delegations have not yet standardized their application processes to match those of the INM Central Immigration Office in Mexico City. Document requirements and processing timeframes may vary between different filing locations. In addition, INM Regional Delegations may be understaffed and therefore unprepared to handle the volume of applications for their particular region. While the Government of Mexico is making an ongoing effort to standardize the INM Regional Delegations, it is expected that progress will be slow to take effect.

Given the ongoing changes to Mexican immigration procedures, it will be of critical importance for our corporate clients to consider their office locations within Mexico, as this will determine which INM Regional Delegation will take jurisdiction over the filing of applications. If your company anticipates sending a foreign national to work in Mexico, we encourage contacting our Global Visa Group for an initial case assessment and consultation.