Effective March 14, 2025, the criteria for obtaining a residence permit in Mexico under the settlement program have changed. The Migration Service is no longer accepting applications from those who first came to Mexico in 2023, but continues to consider applications from applicants who first visited the country in 2015-2022. At the same time, some migration service offices have completely suspended the consideration of applications for obtaining a residence permit under the settlement program.
Among the immigration service offices that continue to work under the settlement program, most qualify only those applicants who have not left Mexico after 2022 and have been stationed here illegally since then. In other words, even if you entered Mexico in 2015-2022 and then left, subsequent entries will cancel your chance to obtain a residence permit under the settlement program.
Consequently, the settlement program continues to operate, but on different standards:you entered Mexico before December 31, 2022 and have not left the country since then.
It is likely that in the coming days, data on the updated criteria for the settlement program will finally become clear, and all migration service offices will begin to evaluate applicants on the same terms. However, in addition, options for completely curtailing the settlement program are also being reported.
Let us remind you that the Migration Situation Settlement Program opens the way to prepare a temporary resident card in Mexico for 4 years for those who have previously been to the country and are now staying here without legal migration status. We talked about the conditions for acquiring a residence permit under the settlement program in 2025 in thispublications.