Profile

Permanent Resident Visa – family unity

Route status

Active as of 2026-04-16[2][5]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)Visa de residencia permanente por unidad familiar as of 2026-04-16[2][5]
Consular route: Lineamientos Trámite 7, requisito III inciso b) "Unidad familiar". INM-initiated route: Trámite 8, where the sponsor is in Mexico
Official name (English)Permanent Resident Visa – family unity as of 2026-04-16[1][2]
Translation; no official English name is published
Legal basisLey de Migración arts. 52 fr. IX, 54 frs. II, VI y VII, 55 y 56; Reglamento de la Ley de Migración arts. 109, 111, 114, 139 frs. II y VI, y 141 fr. I; Lineamientos Generales para la expedición de visas (DOF 25-07-2025), Trámite 7 requisito III inciso b) y Trámite 8 as of 2026-01-15[3][5][6]

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this routeNot applicable
No supranational free-movement bloc applies; the route is open to all foreign nationals
Criminal-record conditionNo as of 2026-01-15[3][5]
No criminal-record certificate is required by the Ley, the Reglamento or the Lineamientos. Ley art. 43 lets the authority refuse a visa where the applicant’s antecedents in Mexico or abroad compromise national or public security, but that is a discretionary ground of refusal, not a documentary clean-record condition

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial durationNot applicable[6]
Permanent condition: the adult card has indefinite validity (Reglamento art. 157); minors’ cards renew annually until age three and every four years thereafter until majority
RenewableNot applicable[6]
Indefinite for adults; no renewal cycle (Reglamento art. 157)
Work rightsfull as of 2026-01-15[3][6]
Residente permanente authorises indefinite stay "con permiso para trabajar a cambio de una remuneración en el país" (Ley art. 52 fr. IX); the adult card implies work permission (Reglamento arts. 157, 164)

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residenceNot applicable[3]
The route grants permanent residency directly

Requirements

Requirements
Who can sponsorcitizen, permanent resident as of 2026-01-15[3][5][6]
Only Mexican nationals and residentes permanentes can sponsor for permanent residence (Ley arts. 55, 56; Reglamento art. 111 frs. I-II; Lineamientos Trámite 7 III b and Trámite 8). Temporary residents and students sponsor only for temporary residence — see mx-residente-temporal-unidad-familiar
Eligible relationsparent, minor child, adult dependent child, sibling as of 2026-04-16[2][3][5]
Parents; minor unmarried children under legal representation and adults under interdiction, including the children of the spouse or partner; and minor siblings under legal representation ("sibling"). Spouses, concubines and equivalent partners are DELIBERATELY EXCLUDED from this visa: "La persona extranjera cónyuge, concubina o concubinario de mexicano o de persona extranjera con condición de estancia de residente permanente, en ningún caso podrá ser documentado con la visa de residente permanente" — they take the temporary route for two years first. Separately, Ley art. 54 frs. VI-VII grant permanent residence to a parent of a Mexican-born child and to ascendants and descendants in the direct line to the second degree of a Mexican by birth
Sponsor income requirement220 × Measure and Update Unit (UMA), daily value (a daily figure), assessed monthly as of 2026-04-16[2][5]
220 UMA-days per family member: tax-free monthly income from employment or pension above that figure over the last six months, OR an average monthly balance of 220 UMA-days over the last twelve months (Trámite 7, III b.2.iii). Required only where the sponsor holds a residence VISA; the Lineamientos state no solvency threshold where the sponsor is Mexican (III b.1), where the sponsor already holds the residence CARD (III b.3), or on the INM path (Trámite 8)
Sponsor accommodation requirementNo as of 2025-07-25[5][6]
No accommodation or housing condition appears in the Lineamientos requirement lists or in Reglamento arts. 111–114
Sponsor waiting periodNot applicable[5][6]
No minimum prior residence is required of the sponsor — only a valid current card, or proof of Mexican nationality (Trámite 8 req. I; Reglamento art. 114 fr. II)
Pre-entry language testNo as of 2025-07-25[3][5]
No language condition appears in the Ley de Migración, its Reglamento or the Lineamientos
Sponsor and relation matrix
    • Sponsor status: citizen
    • Relation: parent
    • Resulting condition: Permanent residence granted directly on entry (Ley art. 55).
    • Sponsor status: permanent resident
    • Relation: parent
    • Resulting condition: Permanent residence granted directly on entry (Ley art. 55).

Process

Process
Where to apply fromeither as of 2025-07-25[5][6]
Consular under Trámite 7 (only where the Mexican or permanent-resident sponsor is abroad and accompanies the applicant, Reglamento art. 113); via INM under Trámite 8 where the sponsor is in Mexico, still followed by a consular interview; or by in-country change of condition where the applicant is already in Mexico as a visitor or residente temporal with a qualifying family link (Reglamento art. 141 fr. I)
Statutory processing time10 days as of 2026-04-16[2][5]
"10 días hábiles" (working days) for the consular decision under Trámite 7; the INM stage under Trámite 8 is 20 días hábiles, followed by a 30-día-hábil authorisation validity
Fees
    • Kind: application
    • Amount: MXN 990.79 as of 2025-11-07[4][5]
      Consular visa fee, LFD art. 22 fr. III d)
    • Charged per: applicant
    • Kind: other
    • Amount: MXN 247.96 as of 2025-11-07[4][5]
      INM authorisation of a visa by unidad familiar, LFD art. 14 Bis — payable only on the Trámite 8 path
    • Charged per: application
    • Kind: card
    • Amount: MXN 13,578.96 as of 2025-11-07[4]
      Residente permanente card (LFD art. 8 fr. VII, 2026). Foreigners documented by family reunification derived from refugee status are exempt from migration-service and document fees (LFD art. 16; Lineamientos Trámite 7)
    • Charged per: applicant
Quota
  • Quota exists: No as of 2026-01-15[3][5]
    No quota or cap mechanism applies to family-unity visas
Stages
    • Label: Consular (Trámite 7, III b) — sponsor accompanies the applicant abroad
    • Statutory clock: 10 days as of 2026-04-16[5]
      10 días hábiles for the consular decision.
    • Fees:
        • Kind: application
        • Amount: MXN 990.79 as of 2025-11-07[4][5]
          Consular visa fee, LFD art. 22 fr. III d).
        • Charged per: applicant
    • Label: INM authorisation then consulate (Trámite 8) — sponsor already in Mexico
    • Statutory clock: 20 days as of 2025-07-25[5]
      20 días hábiles for the INM stage; the authorisation is then valid 30 días hábiles, followed by a consular interview.
    • Fees:
        • Kind: other
        • Amount: MXN 247.96 as of 2025-11-07[4][5]
          INM authorisation of a visa by unidad familiar, LFD art. 14 Bis.
        • Charged per: application
    • Label: In-country change of condition (Reglamento art. 141 fr. I) — applicant already in Mexico as a visitor or with a qualifying family link

Physical presence

Physical presence
none statedto keep the permit as of 2026-01-15[3][6]
No minimum-presence rule stated; unlimited entries and exits (Reglamento art. 157). Note that permanent residence and naturalisation are separate: Ley de Nacionalidad art. 21 imposes its own absence limits for naturalisation

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be includedYes as of 2026-01-15[3][5]
The holder acquires the family-unity right of Ley art. 55 in their own name
Eligible relationsparent, spouse, unmarried partner, minor child, sibling as of 2026-01-15[3][5]
Ley art. 55: parents; spouse and concubine/equivalent (who receive residente temporal for two years, then permanente while the bond subsists); minor children, including those of the spouse or partner, and children under guardianship; "sibling" carries minor siblings under the resident’s legal representation (fr. V)
Family may apply at the same timeYes as of 2026-01-15[3][5]
"podrán ingresar con o solicitar posteriormente el ingreso" (Ley art. 55)
Family members' work rightsnone as of 2026-01-15[3]
Spouses and partners hold residente temporal for the first two years, where work requires an INM permit subject to a job offer; other family members admitted as residente permanente carry work permission (Ley art. 52 fr. IX)
Additional means per family member
    • Relation: parent
    • Amount: 220 × Measure and Update Unit (UMA), daily value (a daily figure), assessed monthly as of 2025-07-25[5]
      Per member, on the consular path where the sponsor holds a residence visa: income >220 UMA-days/month over six months, or an average monthly balance of 220 UMA-days over twelve months (Lineamientos Trámite 7, req. III b.2.iii)
    • Relation: spouse
    • Amount: 220 × Measure and Update Unit (UMA), daily value (a daily figure), assessed monthly as of 2025-07-25[5]
      Per member, on the consular path where the sponsor holds a residence visa: income >220 UMA-days/month over six months, or an average monthly balance of 220 UMA-days over twelve months (Lineamientos Trámite 7, req. III b.2.iii)
    • Relation: unmarried partner
    • Amount: 220 × Measure and Update Unit (UMA), daily value (a daily figure), assessed monthly as of 2025-07-25[5]
      Per member, on the consular path where the sponsor holds a residence visa: income >220 UMA-days/month over six months, or an average monthly balance of 220 UMA-days over twelve months (Lineamientos Trámite 7, req. III b.2.iii)
    • Relation: minor child
    • Amount: 220 × Measure and Update Unit (UMA), daily value (a daily figure), assessed monthly as of 2025-07-25[5]
      Per member, on the consular path where the sponsor holds a residence visa: income >220 UMA-days/month over six months, or an average monthly balance of 220 UMA-days over twelve months (Lineamientos Trámite 7, req. III b.2.iii)
    • Relation: sibling
    • Amount: 220 × Measure and Update Unit (UMA), daily value (a daily figure), assessed monthly as of 2025-07-25[5]
      Per member, on the consular path where the sponsor holds a residence visa: income >220 UMA-days/month over six months, or an average monthly balance of 220 UMA-days over twelve months (Lineamientos Trámite 7, req. III b.2.iii)

Your next step

Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.

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Verification

Verification
Sources cited6
of which official (tier 1)6
Oldest as-of date2025-07-25
Newest as-of date2026-04-16
Reviewed on2026-08-11
Schema version1.1

Sources

  1. [1] Tipos de Visas solicitadas ante el Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM)
    Consulado General de México en Houston (SRE) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-01-07 · Accessed 2026-08-04
  2. [2] Visas — requisitos por tipo (residente temporal y permanente)
    Consulado de México en Yuma (SRE) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  3. [3] Ley de Migración (texto vigente, última reforma DOF 15-01-2026)
    Cámara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Unión · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-01-15 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  4. [4] Ley Federal de Derechos, arts. 8 y 22 (cuotas migratorias y consulares; última reforma DOF 07-11-2025)
    Cámara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Unión · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Published 2025-11-07 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  5. [5] Lineamientos Generales para la expedición de visas que emiten las secretarías de Gobernación y de Relaciones Exteriores (DOF 25-07-2025)
    Diario Oficial de la Federación (SEGOB/SRE) · gazette · Tier 1 · Published 2025-07-25 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy · Amended by mx-dof-reforma-lineamientos-2026
  6. [6] Reglamento de la Ley de Migración (última reforma DOF 23-05-2014)
    Cámara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Unión · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2014-05-23 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy

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