Intimidation: My Experience Inside the Consulate — and Why It Reflects a Larger Problem

I have spent my career helping people navigate complex immigration and consular procedures. Before founding Spanish Visa Advisors (SVA), I worked inside the Mexican, American, and Spanish consular systems, where I witnessed both the dedication of public employees and the systemic challenges they face every day. My experience gave me a unique understanding of how consular services operate and why so many families struggle to obtain the assistance they need.

Today, I experienced something that left me deeply concerned — not only as a former consular employee, but also as a member of the community these institutions are meant to serve.

I accompanied my nieces and nephews to the Mexican Consulate so they could apply for recognition of their Mexican nationality.

Unexpectedly, I was asked to report to the Consul’s office, where I was questioned about why I was at the consulate and about my business. During the conversation, I was told that former employees who enter the consulate are now reported. Having worked inside consulates myself, I found that statement surprising. It left me with the impression that the real concern was whether I was assisting members of the public through my consulting business.

Had I simply been asked that question directly, my answer would have been yes.

I proudly own a consulting firm that assists individuals and families with consular procedures, including nationality applications, passport applications, visa applications, and other immigration-related services. My business operates legally, ethically, and transparently. I have not worked for the Mexican government in more than thirteen years, and today I use the knowledge I gained during my years of public service to help people understand complicated government procedures.

There is nothing improper about providing professional consulting services to individuals who voluntarily seek assistance. This is precisely why attorneys, immigration professionals, and consultants exist — to help people understand complex legal and administrative systems.

The reality is that these services are needed because many applicants struggle to obtain timely assistance directly from consulates. Families frequently report unanswered emails, phone calls that are never returned, difficulty obtaining appointments, confusing online systems, and inconsistent information regarding required documentation. Whether these challenges are caused by staffing shortages, overwhelming demand, or administrative limitations, the result is the same: people are left frustrated while trying to complete life-changing legal processes.

Unfortunately, the problem extends far beyond the applicants.

It also affects the employees working inside these institutions.

Having worked for the Mexican, American, and Spanish consular systems, I know firsthand the tremendous dedication of many locally hired employees. They often work long hours under intense pressure while serving hundreds of members of the public every week. In many offices, employees are expected to perform responsibilities that would normally be divided among several people. Despite their commitment to public service, many feel overworked, understaffed, and unable to provide the level of assistance they know the public deserves.

One of the most overlooked issues is compensation.

Public salary schedules published by both the Mexican and Spanish governments show that many locally hired employees in San Francisco earn salaries that are substantially below what comparable administrative positions in the Bay Area typically pay. For example, recent salary schedules indicate monthly salaries of approximately USD $3,295 for certain locally hired employees at the Mexican Consulate and approximately USD $3,211 for comparable positions at the Spanish Consulate.

To put those figures into perspective, a full-time employee earning approximately $3,295 per month earns roughly $19 per hour, assuming a standard 40-hour workweek. California’s statewide minimum wage is currently $16.50 per hour, while San Francisco’s local minimum wage is approximately $19.18 per hour. Although foreign governments establish compensation for their own locally hired personnel under their own employment frameworks, these salaries remain extremely difficult to live on in one of America’s most expensive metropolitan areas.

According to data published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Living Wage Calculator and other cost-of-living analyses, a family of three in San Francisco generally requires well over $100,000 annually simply to meet basic living expenses. Housing alone frequently exceeds $3,000 per month for a modest apartment. When food, transportation, healthcare, childcare, and utilities are added, monthly expenses often range between $6,000 and $9,000, depending on a family’s circumstances.

These economic realities make it understandable why recruitment and retention continue to be significant challenges for consulates operating in high-cost cities.

The problem is not that consular employees lack commitment.

The problem is that many are expected to deliver exceptional public service while working under conditions that make that increasingly difficult.

When I left consular work, it was not because I stopped believing in public service.

It was because I was a single mother raising two children in one of the most expensive cities in the United States. I genuinely loved helping people, but I could no longer support my family on the salary I was earning.

Starting my consulting firm allowed me to continue serving my community while building a sustainable career. Every day I help families navigate processes that can feel overwhelming — from obtaining dual nationality and passports to securing visas and understanding consular requirements.

Many of my clients come to me only after spending weeks — or even months — trying unsuccessfully to obtain answers from a consulate.

They are not trying to avoid government procedures.

They simply need someone who understands them.

Professional consultants do not replace consulates. We complement them by educating applicants, ensuring documentation is complete, reducing mistakes, and helping families arrive prepared for their appointments. When applicants are better prepared, consulates also benefit through more efficient processing and fewer incomplete applications.

My experience today raises an important question.

Should former public employees be viewed with suspicion simply because they continue serving their communities through the private sector?

Or should governments recognize that experienced professionals help fill a gap that public institutions — often because of limited staffing and resources — cannot always meet?

Governments should invest in stronger consular services, adequate staffing, competitive local compensation, modern appointment systems, and greater transparency. Consular employees deserve working conditions that reflect the realities of the communities they serve, and applicants deserve respectful treatment, timely assistance, and access to accurate information.

Those of us who have dedicated our careers to helping immigrant communities should not be viewed as adversaries. We should be viewed as partners in ensuring that people receive the guidance they need to exercise their legal rights.

My hope is that my experience serves as the beginning of a broader conversation — not about one individual or one consulate, but about how governments can better support both the employees who serve abroad and the millions of citizens who depend on them.

At the end of the day, everyone shares the same objective: ensuring that every member of our community receives the dignified, efficient, and compassionate public service they deserve.