Between January and May 2025, the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana reported a significant jump in nonimmigrant visa approvals compared to the same period last year. The increase stands out against the backdrop of recent policy changes and rising application costs.
According to data from the U.S. Department of State, the consulate approved 105,409 nonimmigrant visas in the first five months of this year, up from 91,603 during the same period in 2024—an increase of nearly 15%.
| 2024 | 2025 | |
| January | 13,980 | 22,376 |
| February | 16,472 | 19,890 |
| March | 18,048 | 23,656 |
| April | 21,366 | 21,578 |
| May | 21,737 | 17,909 |
| Total | 91,603 | 105,409 |
Policy Shifts
That momentum, however, may not hold. President Donald Trump’s administration has introduced new rules that could slow visa processing in Mexico. Among the most notable is a requirement that both minors and older adults attend in-person interviews, a step that was previously waived.
Starting September 2, 2025, applicants under 14 and over 79 will need to appear before a consular officer, the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs confirmed.
Rising fees may also put visas further out of reach. Trump recently announced a new “visa integrity fee,” an additional charge applied across all categories. Under the plan, the cost of a tourist visa will climb from $185 to $435, making the process a steep expense for many Mexican applicants. The administration intends to implement the fee structure in fiscal year 2026.
A separate change already in effect this year further restricts renewals without interviews: the Dropbox option, once available to applicants whose visas had expired within 48 months, now applies only to those with visas expired within the past 12 months, and only if they are seeking renewal in the same category.
