Instituto Nacional de Migración

Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) is the federal agency responsible for controlling and supervising migration flows across Mexico's borders, adjudicating applications for temporary and permanent residency, and enforcing the country's immigration law. It sits under the Secretaría de Gobernación (interior ministry) and operates through a network of 32 regional offices, one per state, plus dedicated border posts along Mexico's southern and northern frontiers. Its Grupos Beta units provide humanitarian assistance, including water, medical aid and legal information, to migrants in distress within Mexican territory.

The INM publishes the Tarifas de Derechos Migratorios annually in the Diario Oficial de la Federación, setting the fees all applicants pay to acquire or regularise their immigration status. For 2026 it raised most residency-Visa fees substantially: the one-year temporary residency fee rose 109%, from 5,328 to 11,140.74 Mexican pesos, effective 1 January 2026. A statutory 50% reduction mechanism was introduced for qualifying applicants, primarily those on the family-unity route or with a formal Mexican job offer, but as of mid-2026 the INM had still not published the documentation requirements or procedures for claiming it.

The INM's fee schedule is a significant cost driver for the estimated tens of thousands of foreign nationals, including digital nomads, who use Mexico's temporary residency pathway each year, since Mexico does not operate a dedicated digital nomad Visa. The 2026 fee doubling, combined with tightened income-solvency requirements, has prompted some nomads to reconsider Mexico as a long-stay base.