Meridian · Freshness tracker

What's changed.

Dated updates to visa, tax, residency, citizenship, housing, and labour policy across every country tracked. Every entry cites its primary source and the date we last verified it.

Subscribe via RSS ↗ · 14 entries shown

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Category All categoriesVisa & immigrationResidencyCitizenshipTaxationLabourHousingHealthcareOther
Announced 1 Dec 2025
Announced Other

USMCA joint review process opens in 2026

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA, in force 2020) enters its first joint review in 2026 — determining whether the parties will extend the agreement beyond its 2036 sunset date. Immigration provisions are limited but the broader trade and investment framework affects mover-relevant employment markets (nearshoring-dependent employment, cross-border services).

Who it affects: Broader trade-and-migration environment; indirect impact on cross-border worker flows.

Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Mar 2025
In force Residency

Asylum and migrant-transit processing expanded at Mexico's southern border

Following the US Trump administration's January 2025 orders tightening US border enforcement, Mexico expanded its own asylum and transit-processing capacity at the southern border (Chiapas, Tabasco) through 2025 — expanded COMAR (refugee commission) processing, temporary migrant-transit cards, and integration programmes for those granted refugee status. Practical effect on mover-relevant immigration channels is indirect.

Who it affects: Transit migrants and asylum seekers; indirect impact on Mexican employers relying on migrant labour.

Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Feb 2025
In force Residency

UMA value updated for 2025 — residency income thresholds rise

The Unidad de Medida y Actualización (UMA) value rose to MXN 113.14/day on 1 February 2025 (MXN 3,439.46/month) — a 4.4% increase. All Mexican residency income-threshold tests (Temporary Resident financial solvency, Permanent Resident high-net-worth, Investor) are indexed to multiples of UMA. Practical dollar-equivalent thresholds update each year with this adjustment.

Who it affects: All residency applicants whose income-threshold tests are indexed to UMA.

Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) ↗ · Diario Oficial de la Federación ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2025
In force Labour

Minimum wage raised 12% to MXN 278.80/day (general zone)

The 2025 general-zone minimum wage rose 12% to MXN 278.80/day (MXN 8,480/month). The northern border zone (FBF) rate rose to MXN 419.88/day. Continues the multi-year recovery trajectory of the Mexican minimum wage following decades of real-terms stagnation.

Who it affects: Low-wage workers and employers in the general and northern border zones.

Diario Oficial de la Federación ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Oct 2024
In force Other

Sheinbaum administration inaugurated

Claudia Sheinbaum was inaugurated as President of Mexico on 1 October 2024, continuing the MORENA-led government after AMLO's 6-year term. Early executive-branch priorities: security strategy, judicial reform (contested), continued social-programme expansion. Immigration and residency rules have seen no major substantive change in the first year of the administration but some operational modernisation continues.

Who it affects: Broad policy context for future changes — particularly on migration, security, and fiscal policy.

Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores ↗ · Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

Announced 15 Sept 2024
Announced Visa & immigration

Dedicated digital-nomad visa proposed in Senate — not enacted

A dedicated digital-nomad visa bill was introduced in the Mexican Senate in September 2024 but did not progress to enactment by end-2025. The existing Temporary Resident Financial Solvency route continues to serve the same practical need (and is arguably more flexible than a dedicated DNV). The bill may be re-introduced.

Who it affects: Potential future remote-worker applicants; no change to existing pathways.

Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Sept 2024
In force Residency

Residency cards issued with chip and biometric verification

INM began issuing new residency cards with embedded chips and biometric data from September 2024 — replacing the legacy physical photo-laminate format. Existing cards remain valid through their expiry; renewals automatically issue the new format. Supports the broader federal ID-verification modernisation.

Who it affects: New Temporary Resident and Permanent Resident card issuances.

Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jul 2024
In force Residency

INM appointment system digitalised with uniform online booking

From mid-2024 INM rolled out a uniform online appointment (cita) system across major cities, replacing the previous fragmented regional booking. Materially improved predictability of appointment availability — though Mexico City and Guadalajara INM offices have remained oversubscribed through 2024–2025 with several-month waits at peak times.

Who it affects: All INM residency applicants and those renewing permanent-resident cards.

Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 May 2024
In force Housing

Mexico City Condesa/Roma gentrification — rental-price monitoring introduced

Mexico City administration introduced a rental-price monitoring system in designated gentrification-affected alcaldías (Cuauhtémoc, Benito Juárez) from mid-2024 in response to political pressure from long-term tenants displaced by short-term-let and remote-worker demand. Does not impose rent caps — operates as a transparency and enforcement mechanism for existing tenancy law.

Who it affects: Tenants and landlords in specific gentrification-affected zones of Mexico City.

Diario Oficial de la Federación ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Taxation

RFC enrolment tightened for foreign residents with Mexican-source income

SAT tightened RFC (Registro Federal de Contribuyentes) enrolment enforcement for foreign residents from 2024 — particularly targeting landlords of Mexican property and freelance service providers with Mexican clients. Residence-card holders now typically enrol in RFC at the time of card issuance. Non-compliance penalties escalated.

Who it affects: Foreign residents earning Mexican-source income (rental, commercial).

Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT) ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Taxation

No major personal-income-tax reform under Sheinbaum administration

Despite pre-election expectations, the Sheinbaum administration (inaugurated October 2024) did not enact material reforms to Mexican personal income tax in its first year. Top marginal rate remains 35%, ISR brackets indexed to UMA. SAT focus has been on enforcement (CFDI 4.0 e-invoicing, RFC enrolment for foreign residents) rather than rate changes.

Who it affects: Mexican tax residents — foreign and Mexican nationals.

Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT) ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2024
In force Taxation

CFDI 4.0 e-invoicing fully enforced

Full enforcement of the CFDI (Comprobante Fiscal Digital por Internet) 4.0 e-invoicing standard took effect from January 2024 after transitional period. All Mexican residents and entities engaged in commerce must issue invoices in CFDI 4.0 format. Foreign residents engaged in Mexican commercial activity (including landlords of Mexican property) must also comply via their RFC (tax ID).

Who it affects: All entities and self-employed residents issuing Mexican tax invoices.

Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT) ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 12 Oct 2023
In force Taxation

Nearshoring accelerated-depreciation tax incentives continue

The October 2023 presidential decree providing accelerated depreciation and a 25% tax deduction for worker-training investments for companies in 10 priority export-oriented sectors (automotive, electronics, medical devices, aerospace, etc.) continues through 2025. A key pillar of Mexico's nearshoring strategy; regularly extended pending structural review.

Who it affects: Foreign-owned manufacturing entities establishing in Mexico.

Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT) ↗ · Diario Oficial de la Federación ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 1 Jan 2023
In force Other

Daylight Saving Time abolished in most of Mexico

The 2022 federal law abolishing Daylight Saving Time across most of Mexico (exceptions: municipalities on the US northern border which retain DST to align with the US) took effect from late 2022 and remains in force through 2024–2026. Time-zone coordination with US partners now varies seasonally — Mexico-City–Eastern US gap becomes 1 hour (summer) or 0 hours (winter) rather than stable 1 hour year-round.

Who it affects: All residents; practical time-zone coordination with US counterparts.

Diario Oficial de la Federación ↗ · verified 2026-04-19