Amendments to the General Guidelines for the Issuance of Visas

On May 15, 2026, Mexico’s Ministry of the Interior, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, amended the General Guidelines for the Issuance of Visas. The changes affect several residence visa categories, including the Temporary Resident Visa based on an employment offer.

Among the main changes, employers will be required to provide additional information in employment offer letters submitted as part of these applications. The new information includes the work arrangement —on-site, remote or hybrid—, the full address where services will be performed, the salary amount and the frequency of payment.

Immigration authorities may also, at their discretion, request evidence of the foreign national’s technical or professional qualifications, including academic degrees, certifications and other professional credentials. This requirement may also apply to managerial, executive or senior personnel.

For positions considered part of a “strategic project” and involving highly specialized knowledge, authorities may require the employment offer letter to include a detailed knowledge-transfer and training program for Mexican nationals. Although Mexico’s Migration Law and regulatory framework have historically contemplated obligations related to knowledge transfer, these requirements have rarely been enforced in practice and generally have not formed part of standard immigration filings.

Additional criteria and implementation guidelines are expected to be issued by the authorities. These may clarify, among other matters, the definition of a “strategic project,” the scope of professional credential verification, acceptable supporting documentation and the circumstances in which knowledge-transfer programs will apply.

In practice, these changes may increase the documentation required for the hiring and international mobility of foreign personnel and may affect the preparation and processing times of immigration procedures. Employers should therefore review employment offer letters, professional credentials and, where applicable, additional requirements related to strategic projects at an early stage.

Von Wobeser y Sierra is available to assess the impact of these provisions on hiring and international mobility processes and to assist with the preparation of the corresponding immigration filings.

The publication in the Federal Official Gazette is available at:
https://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5787660&fecha=15/05/2026#gsc.tab=0