06172014Tue
Last updateMon, 16 Jun 2014 8pm

City’s Immigration office moves to ground floor level

Foreigners should find their dealings at the National Immigration Institute (INM) in Guadalajara far more comfortable now that the federal agency has moved from the fourth floor of the Palacio Federal to a new, larger office on the ground floor.

Access to the new facility will make life much easier for elderly and disabled visitors. No longer will foreigners need to wait in line to use the rickety elevators or walk up several flights of stairs when they are out of order.

The greater space in the new office permits more seating for foreigners waiting to be attended by INM staff. With 14 windows (ventanillas) now giving continuous service, INM Regional Delegate Ricardo Vera Lira expects waiting times to be reduced considerably.

Additional equipment that will soon be installed, according to Vera Lira, includes screens indicating the next available window, plus digital fingerprint readers and iris scanners.

Vera Lira said the move to the ground floor is the first step in a series of important improvements at the INM’s Guadalajara office and city airport.

A new feature soon to be introduced at the Guadalajara airport is a “Viajero Confiable” system, similar to the Global Entry card that allows regular travelers/business people to fast track the long lines at customs and immigration when they enter the United States.

One complaint about the INM’s new facility in Guadalajara, however, has been the lack of air conditioning.