Student visa for MexicoThe first thing that decides your case isn't the school but the DURATION. If your program lasts under 180 days you don't need a student visa: you enter as a visitor and study on that. If it lasts longer you need temporary student residency, and here comes the surprising part: the process starts at a Mexican consulate in YOUR country, not in Mexico. Except in a handful of cases, it can't be…Work out the exact duration of your programThis decides the whole process and comes before anything else. Under 180 days: you enter as a visitor and don't need a student visa — your school just has to give you the letter. Over 180 days: you need temporary student residency, and everything that follows applies. If your program sits right at…Get the acceptance letter with complete detailsIt has to come on letterhead and state your full name as it appears in your passport, the program name, the start and end dates, and the cost. If the institution asks for foreign school documents, that's where another process crosses in: they must be apostilled in the country that issued them and…Apply for the visa at a Mexican consulate in your countryThis is where the process really begins, and where most people get the order wrong. Book the appointment on MiConsulado well ahead: at busy posts the wait runs to weeks. Bring the original acceptance letter, your passport and proof of funds. If approved, the visa is affixed in your passport, and…On entering Mexico, count 30 days from that same dayThe clock starts the day you cross, not the day you get an INM appointment. Keep the entry form they give you: you'll need it for the exchange and it isn't easily replaced. Start the exchange process immediately, not the week before the deadline: the INM appointment is the bottleneck and it isn't…Exchange the visa for your residency card at the INMIt's filed online and completed at an in-person appointment. At the INM all payments are by bank card; cash isn't accepted. Bring originals and copies of everything, including the acceptance letter and your enrolment receipt. The card they issue is your residency document and has an expiry date:…If you're going to work, request the permit separatelyStudent residency doesn't include work authorization. It's requested as an additional permission from the INM, usually tied to an activity compatible with your studies, and decided case by case. Working without it is a violation and can cost you your entire immigration status, not just the job.