How to Apply For a Visa at a Border Post
Contents: Appointments, Who is eligible?, Hours of operation, Additional information
APPOINTMENTS ARE REQUIRED
Any third country national (TCN) present in the United States and visitors present in Canada who wish to apply for a nonimmigrant visa at any of our border posts in Canada or Mexico must make an appointment for an interview. Consular offices are located in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Toronto, Vancouver, Ciudad Juarez, Matamoros and Tijuana.
If you are in the United States and you wish to schedule an appointment, you should call 1-900-443-3131; in Canada you should call 1-900-451-2778. Callers from the United States or Canada wishing to charge the cost of the call to a credit card may schedule an appointment by calling 1-888-840-0032. Unlike the 1-900 numbers, which are blocked from most hotel, office or pay telephones, the credit card line can be accessed from virtually any telephone. The appointment system requires a touch-tone phone; a push button rotary phone will not work.
After your appointment is scheduled, you will be mailed an application form (OF-156) and an information sheet for the post where you will be applying. Please DO NOT call an individual post directly to request an appointment. They can only be scheduled by calling the appropriate 1-900 or 1-888 telephone number.
WHO CAN BE ISSUED A VISA AT A BORDER POST?
Individuals who have ever been out of status in the United States, because they overstayed their visa, are NOT eligible to apply at a border post. In other words, if you have remained in the U.S. longer than the period authorized by the Immigration Officer when you entered the U.S. in any visa category, you must apply for a visa in the country of your nationality. If you are not certain about your status, check with the nearest U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) office. (http://www.ins.usdoj/fieldoffices/index.htm)
Individuals seeking appointments should be aware that applicants may be more likely to encounter difficulties at the time of interview when they apply for a visa outside of their home district. Consular officers at border posts will deny visas whenever they believe there are fraud indicators present, or their lack of knowledge of local conditions and familiarity with documents in the third country prevents them from properly adjudicating the case.
None of the border posts will accept applications for "E" visas from TCN applicants who are not resident in their consular districts.
HOURS OF OPERATIONS
Operators are available from 7am to 10pm EST (7am to 7pm Pacific Standard Time). Callers may have difficulty getting through if they call during the times of 7am 11am, 2pm, 4:30pm and 7pm EST (7am, 11am, 1:30pm and 4pm PST). Appointments for border posts outside the Eastern Time Zone can only be made after it is 7am in the post's time zone.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Applicants who are unable to attend their scheduled appointments must cancel them two full working days prior to the appointment by calling toll-free to 1-888-611-6676.
Would-be applicants who do not need a visa to remain in the United States may find it more convenient to apply for a visa elsewhere in conjunction with their next foreign travel. Those who plan to visit Canada, Mexico or, in the cases of students and exchange visitors, adjacent islands, may re-enter the U.S. within thirty days on expired visas as long as they possess a valid I-94 form.
Visa applicants should take their appointment letters to the interview. They may be admitted without one, but absence of the letter could cause delays.
Certain nationalities require visas from Canadian authorities in order to enter Canada.
