Immigration: Mexico

General information, not legal advice. Data as of October 10, 2026

Visa line

Mexico has its own column because many people from one country apply and there is a per-country limit.

Family (Final Action Date / Date for Filing):

Employment: Mexico has the same dates as the rest of the world (EB-1 C / C; EB-2 01APR25 / 15MAR26; EB-3 15JUN24 / 01AUG24; other workers 01JUN22 / 01JUL22; EB-4 and religious workers 15DEC22 / 01JAN25, but the part for religious workers who are not ministers expires December 11, 2026 unless Congress extends it).

Which chart USCIS uses: in November 2026, USCIS says to use the "Dates for Filing" chart for family and employment cases if you apply for a green card inside the U.S. This changes every month.

Careful: a current date does not mean you can apply for a green card inside the country. Talk to a lawyer or accredited representative.

Official sources: State Department · Nov. 2026 Bulletin (PDF) ↗ · State Department · November 2026 Visa Bulletin ↗ · USCIS · Visa Bulletin chart for green cards ↗

TPS

Mexico does not have TPS. Do not trust anyone who offers "TPS for Mexicans."

Official sources: USCIS · TPS countries ↗

DACA

• USCIS still renews DACA and its work permits.
• It accepts new requests but does not process them. Paying for one today does not give you DACA.
• Your current DACA and work permit stay valid until they expire.
• Renew 120 to 150 days before it expires. Cost: $85 (I-821D) + $470 online or $520 on paper (I-765) = $555 or $605. There is no fee waiver. Only very limited fee exemptions exist, and USCIS must approve them before you file; see uscis.gov/DACA.
• There may be changes in Texas; check the USCIS page (uscis.gov/DACA).

Official sources: USCIS · DACA ↗ · USCIS · Form I-821D fee ↗ · USCIS · Form I-765 fee ↗

Consulates and appointments

• Mexico has 53 consular offices in the U.S.: 52 consulates and the consular section of the Embassy in Washington, D.C. Find yours in the official SRE directory.
• Free appointments: citas.sre.gob.mx or 1-424-309-0009 (call or WhatsApp). No one should charge you for an appointment.
• Your consulate may offer free legal guidance from outside lawyers (PALE program), no matter your immigration status. Ask your consulate what is available.

Official sources: SRE · Directory of Mexican consulates ↗ · Chicago Consulate · Appointments (MiConsulado) ↗ · Orlando Consulate · Appointments are free ↗ · SRE · Free legal advice (PALE) ↗

CIAM

520-623-7874, 24 hours a day, every day (from Mexico: 001-520-623-7874). It can guide you if you are looking for a relative or suffered abuse or fraud. It does not make appointments. If you or a relative is detained, ask your consulate for help: call its emergency number or the CIAM. Each consulate also has an emergency phone number.

Official sources: SRE · CIAM and emergency phone numbers ↗ · Government of Mexico · CIAM ↗ · Seattle Consulate · Immigration detention ↗

Matrícula, passport and INE

• Matrícula consular (consular ID): $41, valid 5 years. Bring your birth certificate or other proof of Mexican nationality, a photo ID, and proof of address in your name (all originals).
• Passport: 1 year $44 (children under 3 only), 3 years $101, 6 years $137, 10 years $209 (18 and older only). People over 60 and people with a documented disability pay half. Emergency passport: 30% more.
• Voter ID card (INE): FREE, adults 18 and older only. Apply with an appointment at the consulate, bringing proof of Mexican nationality, a photo ID and proof of address (originals). It arrives by courier at your home in about 3 to 6 weeks; only you can receive it, and when you do you must call the number on the envelope to confirm. It works as ID in Mexico and lets you vote from abroad.
• The passport can also be issued with the non-binary "X" sex marker.
• The matrícula and the passport are delivered the same day as your appointment. You pay at the consulate. Check your information before they print it.
• The matrícula, the passport and the INE card do not give you immigration status or a work permit in the U.S.

Official sources: SRE · Mexican passport: fees ↗ · Houston Consulate · Fees (matrícula) ↗ · Chicago Consulate · Consular ID (matrícula) ↗ · Chicago Consulate · Passport ↗

Dual nationality

If you were born Mexican and became a U.S. citizen on or after March 20, 1998, you did not lose your Mexican nationality. If you became a U.S. citizen before March 20, 1998, you can get your Mexican nationality back with a declaratoria de nacionalidad (declaration of nationality) at your consulate (2026 cost: $24; confirm with your consulate). Registering a U.S.-born child as Mexican is free (certified copy of the record: $20). Since the May 2021 constitutional reform, children born abroad to Mexican parents are Mexican even if their parents were also born outside Mexico: if you have Mexican nationality, your children have a right to it too, with no limit on generations.

Official sources: Government of Mexico · Dual nationality ↗ · Los Angeles Consulate · Nationality decl. ↗ · Houston Consulate · Fees (birth registration) ↗ · SRE · Mexican nationality ↗

Sources: travel.state.gov, uscis.gov, gob.mx/sre, gob.mx/pasaporte, consulmex.sre.gob.mx. Always check the official source before you start a process.

Consulates in the U.S.