Immigration from Mexico: The Challenges

Immigration from Mexico isn’t exactly easy. There are many challenges, both in Mexico and in the destination country, which can prevent you from getting where you want to be. Unless you understand the complexities and difficulties that lie ahead, it's easy to be discouraged.

Knowing what to expect, though, helps you prepare to handle the issues if they do arise.
The first hurdle to jump in the immigration from Mexico is meeting the requirements. If you want to immigrate to the United States, for example, you have to fall into one of a number of accepted categories, including areas such as employment, marriage and relatives.
Employment-based immigration can be challenging because of the specific requirements. Priority is given to immigrants of extraordinary ability, those highly qualified in academics or research, or those involved in multinational executive positions.

Most people don’t meet those requirements, though, so other categories become the available options. However, as you go further down the list of possible categories without fitting in one of them, the less likely it is that you will be allowed to immigrate.

You can also immigrate from Mexico based on family preference. However, waiting times for this type of arrangement can be very challenging. For example, brothers or sisters of U.S. citizens who want to immigrate to the United States are currently on a 10- to 12-year waiting list.

Even marriage doesn’t guarantee immigration acceptance. Depending on where you married and how long you’ve been married, it can take several years to receive permission to immigrate. If the marriage took place in Mexico, for example, the spouse must wait in Mexico until a green card is granted.

The wait can be quite a strain, especially for a new marriage. Many countries offer an immigration lottery. This is a method of randomly selecting applicants for immigration. Here again, though, difficulties arise. You must meet certain requirements to qualify for the lottery. Visas are also divided among regions based on how many immigrants already come from that region. This means that other areas of the world often take priority over Mexico in a lottery situation.

Moving beyond legal issues, there are practical issues to consider when thinking of immigration from Mexico. Perhaps biggest among these is financial concern. Not only must you be able to afford physical travel to your destination country, you need to be able to support yourself while you go through the immigration process.

If you are immigrating because of employment, of course, you will have a source of income and that makes this part of the immigration situation easier. If you are immigrating for other reasons, there is no guarantee that a job awaits you when you arrive at your destination.

Finally, some destination countries aren’t especially welcoming to immigrants from Mexico. You may find that once you arrive where you want to be, you face discrimination or even persecution. Choosing the right destination, such as the United States, is therefore especially important.

While the list of challenges may be discouraging, don't lose heart. These challenges are there for a reason, and even with all of these challenges to face, immigration from Mexico is a real possibility. Learn all that you can about the immigration process and policy and seek the help of immigration experts.

With the right information and the right experts helping you, your chances of successfully immigrating from Mexico increase significantly.