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The Government of Mexico has dealt another blow to the pockets of migrants by approving a reform that doubles the costs of immigration procedures, a measure that will directly impact Cubans living in the country or those seeking to regularize their status.
According to Aristegui Noticias and El Economista, the Chamber of Deputies approved the reform to the Federal Rights Law (LFD) on Wednesday, part of the Economic Package 2026, with 352 votes in favor and 133 against.
The ruling, driven by President Claudia Sheinbaum, has been sent to the Senate for final review.
The reform updates and increases the fees charged by the Mexican government for public services related to immigration, airports, finance, health, and culture, with projected revenue exceeding 157 billion pesos.
In the realm of migration, the increases are drastic:
- The cost for foreign visitors without a work permit will rise from 860 to 983 pesos.
- For temporary residents, the fees practically double, increasing from 5,328 to 11,740 pesos for one year; from 7,984 to 16,693 pesos for two years; from 10,112 to 21,142 pesos for three years; and from 11,984 to 25,907 pesos for four years.
- In the case of permanent residents, the payment will increase from 6,494 to 13,578 pesos.
- Additionally, new fees are being established, such as the charge for authorization to visit vessels in high seas, which will cost 297.89 pesos, and the authorization form for minors or individuals under legal guardianship to leave the country, which will cost 294 pesos.
Although 50% discounts are established in some humanitarian cases —such as family reunification or cultural invitations—, organizations and opposition lawmakers believe that the reform particularly impacts migrants in vulnerable situations, including thousands of Cubans living in Mexico without stable status or who must renew their residency every year.
The text now goes to the Mexican Senate, which must decide whether to ratify or modify the increases.
According to the newspaper La Razón de México, the Senate of the Republic received last Thursday the drafts of the decree project that amends the Federal Tax Code and the Federal Rights Law, which were previously approved by the Chamber of Deputies as part of the 2026 Economic Package.
The president of the Senate Board, Laura Itzel Castillo Juárez, announced that these rulings will be sent to committees for analysis and discussion in the joint committees of Legislative Studies and Finance, where they must be reviewed before being voted on in the plenary session.
"The path to approving them is that they go to committees. It will be for next week; we would do it as soon as possible. Of course, they will have to discuss it in the joint committees on Legislative Studies and Finance," explained the senator in statements to the media, as reported by La Razón.
In cities like Tapachula, Mexico City, Mérida, and Cancun, where a large Cuban community resides, these increases would represent an unaffordable expense for those working in the informal economy or relying on family remittances.
The measure also affects those planning to emigrate to Mexico or awaiting a response from the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR), as it raises the costs of procedures and prolongs the regularization processes.
For months now, Mexico has tightened its immigration policy, pressured by the United States, increasing deportations, reducing residence permits, and restricting the internal mobility of migrants.
This increase in rates reinforces that trend, adding an economic burden to those who are already facing precarious circumstances and a lack of legal protection.
While the government maintains that the measure seeks to "align the fees with the actual cost of public services," the opposition has labeled the reform as a revenue-generating and regressive law.
Deputy Noemí Luna from the PAN party reported that the increases “directly affect migrants and the poorest sectors”, while deputy Eduardo Gaona from the Movimiento Ciudadano party warned that the law “violates human rights and raises the cost of access to culture and mobility.”
The reform also includes increases in the prices for access to museums, archaeological sites, and aviation services, some with hikes of over 100%, which has been interpreted as a widespread revenue-generating strategy.
The text now moves to the Mexican Senate, which must decide whether to ratify or modify the increases.
Meanwhile, Cubans in Mexico fear that the cost of staying legally in the country will become unattainable, in a context of inflation, low wages, and bureaucratic obstacles that already make their lives in exile very difficult.
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