Immigration Lawyer for Visa Renewal

Thank you for all the info to those who replied.

Yeah @mexicoman you're correct: I used a lawyer in Puerto Vallarta (was living in Sayulita at the time) to get my temporary resident visa last Oct (2019). Even with the lawyer it was a bit of a pain - I think it required 3 or 4 trips to INM (sign forms, then fingerprints, then something else, then pick up the visa?) and 1 trip to customs (get some forms stamped to make sure my USA-plated truck was totally legal).

In theory the renewal process should be easier. I'll take a trip down to INM in Zihua solo first to see what the process looks like.

That being said, if anyone has any additional names for a good and honest lawyer in Zihua that could potentially help with this if the project begins to look dysfunctional and time consuming, would be much appreciated...my first lawyer (through Mexlaw.ca) in PV did not leave me with a good taste in my mouth.

Thanks again everyone and I'll post a follow up(s) as to what this process takes to get finalized to close the loop for any future folks like myself. - Greg

Hello all - and apologies if this info is somewhere - I couldn't find it on a cursory search of the site.

I'm looking for a good immigration lawyer to renew my temporary resident visa (and make sure my USA-plated car is still good to go). I'm coming up on my one-year renewal.

I realize I could probably get this done without a lawyer, but I work a lot and would rather pay to save myself some time and aggravation - not to mention help navigate the bureaucracy in the time of covid.

I'm in Saladita, but anywhere in the area would be fine.

Thanks so much!

Greg

I could be mistaken, but I believe Migración wants to see you in person, not a lawyer, for any renewal of your visa. I've never even heard of a Mexican immigration lawyer for renewal of a visa. I'm sure there are lawyers who will happily take your money, but I just don't believe there is any "bureaucracy" to be navigated that merits using one. Granted it's been over two decades since I renewed anything, so it's possible something drastic has changed since then.

Here's where you should be able to find all the info you need for renewing any visa:
Gobierno Federal - Instituto Nacional de Migración - Trámites Migratorios

In Playa Del Carmen and Cancun there are lawyers and lay people who specialize in set up and renewal of residency visas. I believe that is what he is requesting. One year in Cancun we made 10 trips to INM to get the visa renewed. There INM specializes in making it difficult for extranjeros to get or renew visas. After that experience we used a lawyer. We only went to the INM office to submit our photos and get fingerprinted. Everything else was handled by a woman from the lawyers' office. The going rate was 5,000 Pesos per person. The lawyer explained that half that goes to the head of INM in Cancun. And yes, I believed him it is a very corrupt system in Quintana Roo.

I never paid any bribe at the local office. But because they were always so helpful to me back when I was still a Visitante No Migrado I would take them a fruit basket for the holidays.

Yes, any bureaucrat can invent a difficult process and work in cahoots with third parties to justify all kinds of payments. That’s why I linked to the website where everything is explained. Knowledge is power. Under the current federal government no one should be paying bribes anymore.

Rob said,

I could be mistaken, but I believe Migración wants to see you in person, not a lawyer, for any renewal of your visa. I've never even heard of a Mexican immigration lawyer for renewal of a visa. I'm sure there are lawyers who will happily take your money, but I just don't believe there is any "bureaucracy" to be navigated that merits using one. Granted it's been over two decades since I renewed anything, so it's possible something drastic has changed since then.

Your last renewal was about the time of my first experience with migracion.

I remember back then making literally dozens of appearances at the office to get an FM3, sometimes two or more visits in a day. Then doing it all again a year later. I rented a car on each of my autumn trips to Troncones because I knew I would need it for getting to Zihuatanejo so many times.

Over the years, the processes became easier and easier. I would like to take credit, but I know that really it was because the procedure, the office, and the employees all became more efficient and helpful. By the time I got my permanent resident status maybe five years ago, I realized I would actually miss some of my visits there.

I still deliver flowers to the office every year or two, expressing my appreciation for their assistance over the years.

I almost always had friends in the office back then who were glad to help me. When I first started renewing my visa the office was where the abandoned Módulo de Policía is by the zócalo. I had known some of the people working there from when we were teens playing soccer on the beach and dancing at the Chololo back in the mid-70's. They helped me cut some corners, to be sure. Applying for citizenship was a mess back then up until there was a streamlining of the process, then it became ridiculously easy. Especially considering the absolute twilight zone nightmare most Mexicans have to go through to get any kind of visa to enter the USA, as you partly illustrated in another comment.