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Message for U.S. Citizens: Voting in 2024 U.S. Federal Elections
By U.S. Mission to Mexico
10 MINUTE READ

January 25, 2024

U.S. Embassy Mexico City

Your vote counts! Did you know that many U.S. federal elections for the House of
Representatives and Senate have been decided by a margin smaller than the number
of ballots cast by absentee voters?  All states are required to count every
absentee ballot that is valid and reaches local election officials by the
absentee ballot receipt deadline. Follow a few simple steps to ensure you can
vote in the 2024 federal U.S. elections:

 1.   Request your ballot. Complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) .
    You must complete a new FPCA after January 1, 2024 to ensure you receive
    your ballot for the 2024 elections.  Submitting the FPCA allows you to
    request absentee ballots for all elections for federal offices (President,
    U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives) including primaries and
    special elections during the calendar year in which it is submitted.  All
    local election officials in all U.S. states and territories accept the FPCA.

You can complete the FPCA online at FVAP.gov . The online voting assistant will
ask you questions specific to your state. We encourage you to request your blank
ballots be delivered electronically (by email, internet download, or fax,
depending on your state). Include your email address on your FPCA to take
advantage of the electronic ballot delivery option. Return the FPCA per the
instructions on the website. The online voting assistant will tell you if your
state allows the FPCA to be returned electronically or if you must submit a
paper copy with original ink signature. If you must return a paper version,
please follow the same instructions below for returning your ballot.

 2.        Receive and complete your ballot.States are required to send out
    ballots 45 days before a regular election for federal office and generally
    send ballots at least 30 days before primary elections.  For most states,
    you can confirm your registration and ballot delivery online .
 3. Return your completed ballot. While some states allow you to return your
    completed ballot electronically, others do not.  If your state requires you
    to return paper voting forms or ballots to local election officials, you can
    do so free of charge at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate Monday through
    Friday, except holidays. Please note your post’s voting material drop off
    hours below.  Place your ballot in a postage-paid return envelope or in an
    envelope bearing sufficient domestic U.S. postage and address it to the
    relevant local election officials. Addresses of the Embassy and consulates
    are available here.

U.S. Embassy Mexico City: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm

U.S. Consulate General Ciudad Juarez: 8:00 am – 4:00pm

U.S. Consulate General Guadalajara: 8:00 – 4:30 pm

U.S. Consulate General Hermosillo: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm

U.S. Consulate General Matamoros: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

U.S. Consulate General Merida: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

U.S. Consulate General Monterrey: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

U.S. Consulate General Nogales: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm

U.S. Consulate General Nuevo Laredo: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

U.S. Consulate General Tijuana: 8:00 am – 10:00 am

You can also return your FPCA or ballot to your local election officials via
international mail or professional courier service at your own expense.

Research candidates and issues.  Please see the FVAP links page  for resources
you can use to research candidates and issues.  FVAP regularly sends information
about election dates and deadlines through their Voting Alerts. 
Email vote@fvap.gov to subscribe or follow FVAP on Facebook  or Twitter .

Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) website, FVAP.gov
. If you have any questions about registering to vote overseas, please contact a
Voting Assistance Officer at your closest post at:

VoteMexicoCity@groups.state.gov

VoteCiudadJuarez@state.gov

VoteGuadalajara@state.gov

VoteHermosillo@state.gov

VoteMatamoros@state.gov

VoteMerida@state.gov

VoteMonterrey@state.gov

VoteNogales@state.gov

VoteNuevoLaredo@state.gov

VoteTijuana@state.gov

Remember, your vote counts!

Links:  

Mexico International Travel Information

U.S. Passports

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program

Traveler’s Checklist

Department of State on Facebook  and X

U.S. Embassy in Mexico on Facebook  and X



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FAQs
What is an immigrant visa?


An immigrant visa is a document issued by a U.S. consular officer abroad that
allows you to travel to the United States and apply for admission as a legal
permanent resident (LPR). An immigration inspector of U.S. Customs and Border
Protection of the Department of Homeland Security makes the final decision as to
whether or not to admit you as an LPR. Once you are admitted as an LPR, you
generally have the right to live and work in the United States permanently. U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland Security will
mail your permanent resident card (often called a “green card”) to your new
address in the United States, usually within three months of your entry into the
United States. Please see 9 FAM 502.1-3 for a list of classification symbols and
a brief description of each.

What is the difference between an immigrant visa and a nonimmigrant visa?


Getting an immigrant visa usually means that you will be able to live and work
in the United States for as long as you want. A nonimmigrant visa, on the other
hand, is generally for short-term visitors to the United States. You cannot stay
in the United States permanently on a nonimmigrant visa, and you generally
cannot work. A nonimmigrant visa is sometimes informally called a “tourist visa”
but can be issued for reasons other than tourism, such as medical treatment,
business or study. Please see our nonimmigrant visa page for more information.

How do I start the process of obtaining my immigrant visa?


There are three basic methods for obtaining an immigrant visa: 1.through a
family relationship with a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident 2.through
employment 3.through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (the visa lottery)
Most applicants in Mexico obtain their immigrant visas via family relationships.
The first step in obtaining a family-based immigrant visa is for your relative
(the petitioner) to file a Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative) by mail with
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the Department of Homeland
Security. Once your relative has filed a petition for you, you may check its
status by accessing the USCIS Case Status Search Page. You may obtain an
immigrant visa through employment rather than through a family member. More
information on obtaining an immigrant visa through employment rather than
through a family member is available on USCIS’s Green Card through a Job page.
Please see the Fiscal Year 2016 Diversity Visa Entry Instructions. Note that the
registration period for 2015 has closed. You may check this page for the Fiscal
Year 2016 Diversity Visa Entry instructions in approximately September 2014.

The family-based petition my relative filed for me was approved. Now what?


Once U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the Department of
Homeland Security approves an immigrant visa petition, USCIS sends the approved
petition to the Department of State’s National Visa Center in Portsmouth, New
Hampshire.

What does the National Visa Center do?


The Department of State’s National Visa Center (NVC) retains the approved
petition until the case is ready for adjudication by a consular officer abroad.
Petitions may remain at NVC for several months or for many years depending on
the visa category and country of birth of the visa applicant. When a
beneficiary’s (the beneficiary is the person on whose behalf the petition was
filed) priority date appears about to become current, NVC sends the petitioner a
bill for processing Form I-864 (Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the
Act) and sends the beneficiary a Form DS-261 (Choice of Address and Agent). Once
the Form I-864 processing fee is paid, NVC sends the Form I-864 and related
instructions to the petitioner. Once NVC receives the completed Form DS-261 from
the applicant, NVC mails a bill for the immigrant visa fee to the agent
designated on the Form DS-261. Once the immigrant visa fee is paid, NVC sends
the Instruction Package for Immigrant Visa Applicants to the agent. You or your
agent must follow the directions in the Instruction Package for Immigrant Visa
Applicants exactly. Failure to do so could result in a delay in your case and
could even cause you to lose your chance to live and work in the United States.
Once NVC completes its administrative processing of your case, the case file is
sent to the Immigrant Visa Unit of the U.S. Consulate General, Ciudad Juarez.
NVC will notify you by mail when this occurs.

What is a priority date and why does it matter?


The priority date, in the case of a family-based immigrant visa petition, is the
date your petition was filed (not the date it was approved). Family-based
immigrant visas are divided into two broad groups, immediate relative cases and
preference cases. An immediate relative family-based petition is filed by a U.S.
citizen on behalf of a spouse, parent, or child. A preference family-based
petition is filed by a U.S. citizen on behalf of a son, daughter, or sibling; or
by a legal permanent resident on behalf of a spouse, son or daughter, or child.
Because the law does not limit the number of immediate relative visas, the
priority date is normally irrelevant in such cases (please see the 9 FAM
502.1-1(d)(1) for the notable exception, related to the Child Status Protection
Act). Workload permitting, the Immigrant Visa Unit may begin processing the
approved petition upon receipt from the Department of State’s National Visa
Center or the Department of Homeland Security. The priority date in a preference
case, however, matters greatly. The law limits the number of preference visas
available. All categories of family-based preference visas are currently
“oversubscribed” (i.e., there are more people who want visas than there are visa
numbers available). Your priority date, along with your visa category and
nationality, determines whether a visa number is available or whether you must
wait. Once your priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed in the
most recent Visa Bulle

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