Tijuana pedestrian crossing opens

The US and Mexico have been working for several years to modify and upgrade the crossing points in to Tijuana for several years.  The US has fully rebuilt the San Ysidro crossing going North to the US and continues to expand with additional auto lanes and streamlined pedestrian crossing.

Likewise in Mexico the El Chaparral crossing has created numerous additional auto lanes but not so much for pedestrians until now. The new Puerta Este for pedestrian crossers looks much more like you are arriving at an airport than any pedestrian facility seen before at a US border crossing.

For the most part the crossing is simple and crossers may be requested to push a button that will give a green light or red light. The green light means go on your way while the red light means you will be asked a few simple questions such as how long are you visiting Mexico, where you will visit and if you have anything to declare. The majority of people passing through the facility will have little scrutiny.

What is true, no matter if you are crossing by vehicle or on foot in to Mexico that there is much more scrutiny than ever before. The number of Customs Officials has increased dramatically. Click here to view a previous post regarding visa requirements to visit Tijuana.

Full story at San Diego Union Tribune.

Immigration law changes

During November 2012, the immigration policy of Mexico underwent significant changes.  The requirements for foreigners to gain legal residence or citizenship in Mexico were expanded and the fees were increased.  Among the changes the familiar visa names FM-T, FM-2, FM-3, were changed.

For more information see the article at Mexperience.com