Less than a month after the Mexican Embassy and Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched the “MiConsulmex” app, it has received 25,000 individual downloads in less than a month.
The free app targets the Mexican community in the United States and provides information about consular services, allowing its users to find the nearest consulate or schedule an appointment in the MEXITEL online service.
“The Mexican government is always thinking how to improve its communication with the Mexican population in the U.S. and abroad,” said Anibal Gomez-Toledo, the head of the Consular Office at Embassy of Mexico.
The app provides information on legal services and events offered by Mexican consulates nationwide. It contains news updates on comprehensive immigration reform and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
The app was launched in partnership with the Mexican government’s efforts to reach out to its nearly 12 million citizens who reside in the U.S. While 25,000 individuals downloads is impressive for the first weeks of the app’s launch, the number has a potential to grow considering the large population of Mexican immigrants in the United States. As of 2012, one in ten Mexicans lived in the U.S. They represent 28 percent of the total U.S. immigrant population of 41 million in 2012, according to embassy data.
“The smartphones are now everywhere, there are no barriers to get a smartphone,” said Gomez-Toledo. “There are studies from several institutions that mention that Mexicans and immigrations are using more smartphones than before and than other groups in this country.”
The Mexican Embassy announced with the success of the app, they are looking to and expand its functions in the future, hoping to provide more services and reach a larger audience.
“It’s a powerful tool for them to open certain doors to find themselves and get services that are available to them,” Gomez-Toledo said.
In addition to the app, the Embassy of Mexico in the United States launched a bi-monthly online English newsletter called Zoom in Mexico, to focus on bi-lateral relationship between the two countries.
The app is available for Apple and Android devices.