Hire a Japanese Chef in Mexico: INM Job Offer Visa Steps

Mexico has more Japanese restaurants than any country outside East Asia and the United States, and the number is still rising. Bringing a chef from Japan is a two-stage process: the employer applies to the National Migration Institute (INM) in Mexico, and the chef collects the visa at a Mexican consulate. Before either, the company must be registered with INM as an employer. This guide goes through each stage from the Migration Law and its regulations, and covers a Federal Labour Law rule that is easy to miss.

1. Mexico in numbers

• MAFF counted 7,430 Japanese restaurants in Mexico in 2025, up 310 on 2023. That is the fourth highest of any country, after China, the United States and South Korea.
• Latin America as a whole rose about 20% to roughly 15,300. MAFF links the regional growth to the popularity of Japanese anime.
• MOFA recorded 9,344 Japanese nationals in Mexico on 1 October 2025, down 6.4% in a year. Of those, 2,845 are permanent residents, about 30%.

Put those two numbers side by side. There are fewer than two Japanese residents in Mexico for every Japanese restaurant. Whatever share of them cook for a living, most of these kitchens cannot be run by Japanese chefs. For an owner who wants to stand out with a chef trained in Japan, that is the opportunity. It also explains why the labour law's rules on training Mexican staff (section 5) matter so much here.

2. Step one: register as an employer with INM

Under Article 166 of the Regulations to the Migration Law, any individual or company that hires foreign staff, or makes a job offer to a foreign national, must obtain a constancia de inscripción del empleador (employer registration certificate) from INM. Once issued, it serves as proof of the company's legal existence and the representative's authority in later applications, so you only need to present the updated certificate each time.

For a company (persona moral), the regulation lists these documents:

• the articles of incorporation and any amendments;
• the public instrument showing the legal representative's powers, if not in the articles;
• current official ID of the representative;
• proof of the company's address, issued within the last 30 days;
• registration with the federal taxpayer registry (RFC) and proof of filing the latest tax return;
• a list of employees and their nationalities.

The tax return requirement means a newly formed company needs to have filed before it can register. Factor that into an opening timeline.

3. The job offer visa request

The Migration Law (last reformed 15 January 2026) lets the visa application for a job offer be filed with INM in Mexico rather than at a consulate (Article 41). INM authorises the visa; the consulate issues it as instructed.

Article 115 of the Regulations sets out what the employer must show in the solicitud de autorización de visa por oferta de empleo:

1. The employer registration certificate from INM.
2. A job offer naming the foreign national and their nationality, the occupation, the amount of pay, the duration and the place of work.
3. A statement that the employer takes responsibility for financing the foreign national's travel.

INM may carry out verification visits to confirm the offer and the employer are genuine. The job offer visa is also subject to any quotas the government sets. INM authorises the type of visa according to the length of the offer: a visitor visa with permission to work for shorter engagements, or a temporary resident visa for longer ones.

Temporary residence lets the holder stay for up to four years, with permission to work subject to a job offer, and the right to enter and leave Mexico freely (Migration Law, Article 52, section VII). Close family can accompany or join the holder for the duration of the permit.

4. Consulate, entry and the residence card

Once INM authorises the visa, the chef attends a Mexican consular office abroad to have the visa issued. Under Article 107 of the Regulations, the temporary resident visa is issued valid for 180 days, single entry. After entering Mexico, the chef must apply for the residence card within 30 calendar days.

That 30-day deadline is easy to miss in a busy opening. Put it in the calendar the day the chef lands, and make sure someone owns it.

5. The 90% rule and the duty to train

Article 7 of the Federal Labour Law (last reformed 14 May 2026) says:

• Every business or establishment must employ at least 90% Mexican workers.
• In technical and professional categories, workers must be Mexican unless there are none in a particular specialty. In that case the employer may temporarily employ foreign workers, up to 10% of those in the specialty.
• The employer and the foreign workers are jointly obliged to train Mexican workers in that specialty.
• The rule does not apply to directors, administrators and general managers.

For a restaurant, the first point is simple arithmetic: one foreign chef in a team of ten is already at the limit. The third point is the one to build into the role. A Japanese chef hired into Mexico is, by law, also a trainer. Say so in the job description, ask about training experience in the interview, and give the chef time and structure to do it. Our guide to training local staff in Japanese cuisine covers how.

If you are hiring a chef who will also manage the business as general manager, the exemption for directors and general managers may apply to that person. Take advice on how the role is defined.

6. The local pool

Mexico's 2,845 Japanese permanent residents, and the long-term residents who already hold work permission, are the first place to look. A candidate already in Mexico with the right to work removes the INM steps entirely. Beyond that, Japanese chefs already working in the United States and elsewhere in Latin America are worth approaching. For the US side, see our guide to hiring in Texas; for Latin America's other fast-growing market, see Brazil.

7. Step by step

1. Check your headcount against the 90% rule.
2. Obtain the employer registration certificate from INM.
3. Search locally, then in Japan and among Japanese chefs abroad.
4. Interview with a practical test. See remote skills tests.
5. Write the job offer: name, nationality, occupation, pay, duration, workplace and the travel undertaking.
6. File the job offer visa request with INM.
7. The chef collects the visa at the Mexican consulate and travels within its 180-day validity.
8. Apply for the residence card within 30 days of entry.
9. Set up the training plan for Mexican staff from week one.

General information gathered from official legal texts in September 2026, not legal or immigration advice. INM procedures, forms and fees change; confirm the current requirements with INM and the Mexican consulate before acting.