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LEGALTICA GUIDE

English-speaking immigration lawyers in Mexico

Below you will find immigration lawyers in Mexico who work in English, with their contact details, so you can explain your case to the firm directly. It is free and commits you to nothing. Here is what an immigration lawyer does in Mexico, how to check their licence and what to have ready.

The rest of Legaltica is in Spanish.

Legaltica editorial team
12 FIRMS
9 OFFICIAL SOURCES

THE GUIDE · FULL READ

What an immigration lawyer in Mexico can do for you

  • Choose the right route: temporary residency (economic solvency, family ties, work, property or investment) or permanent residency (retirees, family ties, or after years as a temporary resident).
  • Prepare the consulate application, which for most routes is made outside Mexico before you move.
  • Exchange the visa for a resident card at the National Migration Institute (INM) within 30 days of arriving.
  • Handle procedures inside Mexico: renewals, work permission, changes from temporary to permanent residency, and changes of status based on family ties.
  • Challenge a refusal or an INM decision.
  • Apply for Mexican citizenship by naturalisation after the required years of residence.

If the INM refuses your application

Against a decision that ends an administrative procedure you can file a recurso de revisión within 15 days, counted from the day after notification takes effect, or go to the courts instead. The deadline is short, so contact a lawyer as soon as you receive the decision.

Immigration lawyers in Mexico who speak English

Tell a firm about your situation in English: they receive your message and your phone number, and you see theirs straight away. It’s free and you’re not committing to anything. Languages are taken from each firm’s profile. Firms marked “Registered with Legaltica” manage their own profile.

  1. Registered with Legaltica

    CITY
    Ciudad de México
    LANGUAGES
    ES · EN · FR · ZH

    Migralaw - Abogados Migratorios en México

    4.6 · 160 Google Speaks English

    Migralaw - Abogados Migratorios en México is a migration law firm based in Granada, Mexico City, with offices in several areas of the city and in Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Cancún. Their main work includes visas, migration regularization, and naturalization.

    If you need help with visas, residence, work permits, deportation matters, or nationality issues, they can review your case in English and guide you through the immigration process in Mexico.

    CALL THEM IF you need help with visas, residence, work permits, or nationality issues in Mexico

  2. Registered with Legaltica

    CITY
    Xalapa-Enríquez
    LANGUAGES
    ES · EN

    Velarde & Caicero Asociados S.A.S. DE C.V.

    5.0 · 7 Google Speaks English

    Velarde & Caicero Asociados S.A.S. DE C.V. is a legal firm in the Modelo neighborhood of Xalapa. Its practice covers administrative litigation, family law, labor, civil, commercial, and succession matters, with a focus on human rights protection.

    If your move to Mexico also brings family, labor, civil, or succession issues, they can advise you on those related legal matters and help organize the next steps with clear legal support.

    CALL THEM IF your case also involves family, labor, civil, commercial, or succession issues in Xalapa

  3. Registered with Legaltica

    CITY
    Boca del Río
    LANGUAGES
    ES · CA · GL · EU · EN · FR · DE · IT · PT · AR · ZH · RU · RO · PL · UK · NL · SV · JA · HI

    Abogado Alfredo Liceaga

    5.0 · 9 Google Speaks English

    Abogado Alfredo Liceaga is based in Fraccionamiento Costa de Oro, Boca del Río. He handles family, succession, criminal, and constitutional matters, and he also lists asylum and international protection among his practice areas.

    If you need help with asylum or international protection in Mexico, or your situation also involves family or succession issues, he can discuss your case and the legal steps you may need to take.

    CALL THEM IF you need asylum or international protection, or your case also involves family issues in Boca del Río

How to check a lawyer in Mexico

Unlike in Spain, practising law in Mexico does not depend on joining a bar association (colegio or barra). What the professions law in Mexico City requires is a law degree registered with the Education Ministry (SEP) and a cédula profesional, the professional licence, and, with limited exceptions, courts reject anyone without a registered degree acting as your representative.

Ask for the lawyer’s cédula number and look it up for free in the SEP’s Registro Nacional de Profesionistas, which shows the name, degree and institution.

Fees: ask for a written contract

The fee is agreed with the lawyer; in Mexico City the professions law requires a contract setting out the fees and what each side will do, and it is worth asking for one anywhere in Mexico. Government fees for visas and resident cards are separate, so ask whether the quote includes them, translations and the INM appointment.

What to have ready

  • Your passport and your entry record (the number of days you were authorised at entry).
  • Bank statements, pension statements or a job offer, depending on the route.
  • Birth or marriage certificates for family members, with apostille and Spanish translation.
  • Any INM document or notice already received, with the date.

MORE FIRMS

Immigration lawyers in Mexico who speak English

Showing 12 of 205 firms.

Frequently asked questions

No. Many people apply on their own. A lawyer helps when your income or family situation is not straightforward, when you are already in Mexico and want to change status, or after a refusal.

Generally only with a family tie to a Mexican or a legal resident, or on humanitarian grounds. Most people apply at a Mexican consulate abroad.

Ask for their cédula profesional and look it up in the SEP’s Registro Nacional de Profesionistas.

You have 15 days to file a recurso de revisión, or you can go to court instead. Contact a lawyer as soon as you receive the decision.

Up to 180 days; the number of days written on your entry record is what counts. To live there longer you need residency.

Official sources

Ley de Migración (temporary and permanent residence, visitors up to 180 days) Cámara de Diputados · checked
Reglamento de la Ley de Migración (change of status inside Mexico, 30 days to exchange the visa for a card) Cámara de Diputados · checked
Lineamientos Generales para la expedición de visas (DOF 25-07-2025) SIDOF, Secretaría de Gobernación · checked
Ley Federal de Procedimiento Administrativo (arts. 83 and 85: recurso de revisión within 15 days) Cámara de Diputados · checked
Ley de Nacionalidad (art. 20: years of residence for naturalisation) Cámara de Diputados · checked
Instituto Nacional de Migración Gobierno de México · checked
Ley Reglamentaria del Artículo 5o. Constitucional, relativo al ejercicio de las profesiones en la Ciudad de México (art. 25: registered degree and professional licence; art. 26: only registered professionals may act in court; art. 31: written fee contract) Cámara de Diputados · checked
Registro Nacional de Profesionistas: consulta de cédulas profesionales Secretaría de Educación Pública · checked
Apostille Convention: status table Hague Conference on Private International Law · checked

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and amounts change: check the official sources below or ask a lawyer about your own situation.