Requirements to Enter Canada and Mexico
The Canadian government and the Mexican government require visitor visas for citizens of most countries to enter. Please check the web sites or telephone numbers listed below or a local travel agency to see if a visitor visa is required and, if so, how to obtain it.
Contact Canadian consulates at addresses given below for information:
Canadian Consulate General Immigration Section 600 Renaissance Center, Suite 1100 Detroit, MI 48243-1798 Telephone: 313-567-2340 |
Canadian Consulate General Immigration Section HSBC Center Suite 3000 Buffalo, NY 14203-2884 Telephone: 716-858-9500 |
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OR go to the website for visitor visa requirements and procedures:http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp
Contact one of the following consulates to inquire about requirements for entering Mexico:
Mexican Consulate General Immigration Section 48 Steele St. Denver, CO 80206 Telephone: 303-331-1110 <> |
Mexican Consulate General Immigration Section 127 Navarro St. San Antonio, TX 78205 Telephone: 210-227-9145 |
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OR go to the website for visa requirements and procedures: http://www.mexonline.com/consulate.htm
*For more information about visas to Canada, Mexico and many other countries, please check: www.embassy.org
HOW TO APPLY FOR A U.S. VISA IN CANADA OR MEXICO
APPOINTMENTS
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 U.S. Consulates near the border in Canada or Mexico MUST make an appointment for an interview. U.S. Consular offices are located in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Toronto, Vancouver, Ciudad Juarez, Matamoros, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, and Tijuana.
Appointments by Telephone: If you are in the United States and you wish to schedule an appointment, you should call 1-900-443-3131 for Canada or 1-900-225-5520 for Mexico; in Canada you should call 1-900-451-2778 or in Mexico you should call 1-900-849-7474. To charge the cost of the call to a credit card you should call: (Canada) 1-888-840-0032, if you are in either the U.S. or Canada, or (Mexico) 011-52-477-788-7070 if you are in the U.S. or 01-477-788-7070 if you are in Mexico. 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 or a rotary phone will not work.
Operators are available to assist you with making an appointment. Each of the consulates located in Canada and Mexico have different hours and days of the week in which they schedule for appointments. A listing of each consulate and their hours of availability can be found on either of these web sites: Canada– http://www.amcits.com/ or Mexico–http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/edirector.html.
Appointments by Internet: Applicants can also book appointments in Canada via the Internet at http://www.nvars.com or in Mexico at http://www.visa-usa.com.mx/. The visa fee will be charged to a major credit card. Applicants are advised to have their credit card information handy.
After your appointment is scheduled, you will be mailed application forms (DS-156, DS-157 and DS-158) and an information sheet for the U.S. Consulate where you will be applying. Please DO NOT call an individual consulate directly to request an appointment. They can only be scheduled by calling the appropriate 1-900 or 1-888 telephone number or by using the Internet. Information about fees and procedures will be provided.
ELIGIBILITY
TCNs who have ever been out of status in the United States because they overstayed their authorized period in the U.S. as indicated on their form I-94 are not eligible to apply for a visa in Canada or Mexico. Those TCNs must apply in the country of their nationality. If you are not certain about your status, check with an advisor at IA. Other TCNs not eligible to apply for a visa in Mexico include individuals who entered the U.S. with a B visa and changed to another visa classification (unless the visa was marked that they were intending to change, such as “Prospective Student” ) and citizens of Iran, Sudan, Libya, Iraq, North Korea, Syria and Cuba.
INTERVIEWS
TCNs 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 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 applicant's home country prevents them from properly making a decision.
Applicants who are unable to attend their scheduled appointments must cancel them two full working days prior to the appointment by calling toll-free 1-888-611-6676.
Visa applicants should take their appointment letters to the interview. They may not be admitted without one, but absence of the letter could cause delays.
RETURNING TO THE UNITED STATES FROM CANADA OR MEXICO FOR THOSE IN THE F-1 AND J-1 VISA CLASSIFICATION |
If you plan to visit only Canada or Mexico (or, if you hold the F-1, F-2, J-1, or J-2 visa classification, also adjacent islands in the Caribbean except Cuba), you may re-enter the U.S. within 30 days on an expired visa or with a visa in a different classification as long as you possess a valid I-94 form, provided you have not applied for a new visa at a U.S. Consulate or are subject to Special Registration.
(If you are subject to Special Registration, you will need to follow the instructions you received from the immigration office).
If you are an F-1 student, you should have the following documents:
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Your original Form I-20 with the following:
(A) the signature of a foreign student advisor on page 3, dated within the past 6 months. If you do not have this signature, come to the IA Office and get the signature prior to travel.
(B) a completion of studies date on the front which is later than your intended date of return.
[If you do not have page 3 of your Form I-20 or if the graduation date will have passed before you return to the U.S., come to the IA Office and apply for a new Form I-20. Be sure to sign at the bottom of page 1 before presenting this form at the border.]
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An unexpired Form I-94 (the departure card often stapled in your passport) noting your current visa classification.
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Your valid passport. Even if your U.S. visa stamp has expired, you may re-enter the U.S. from Canada or Mexico with an expired visa,
(A) if you have not traveled to a country other than Canada or Mexico, and
(B) if you did not stay longer than 30 days, and
(C) if your visa does not carry the notation “212 (D)(3)(A)”
(D) if you have not applied for a new visa at a U.S. Consulate in Canada or Mexico
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Your current transcript.
If you are a J-1 student, research scholar, visiting professor, etc., you should have the following documents:
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Your original Form DS-2019,with you signature at the bottom, and with the following:
(A) the signature of your Exchange Visitor Responsible Officer in the Travel Validation section dated within the past six months. If you do not have this signature, come to the IA Office and get the signature or other information about getting it.
(B) a program expiration date on the front which is later than your intended date of return from Canada/Mexico.
[If you do not have your Form DS-2019 or if the program expiration date will have passed before you return to the U.S., you will need to apply for a new Form DS-2019 from your Program Sponsor. Be sure to sign at the bottom of page 2 before presenting this form at the border.]
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An unexpired Form I-94 (the departure card often stapled in your passport) noting your current visa classification.
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Your valid passport. Even if your U.S. visa stamp has expired, you may re-enter the U.S. from Canada or Mexico with an expired visa,
(A) if you have not traveled to a country other than Canada or Mexico, and
(B) if you did not stay longer than 30 days, and
(C) if your visa does not carry the notation “212 (D)(3)(A)”
(D) if you have not applied for a new visa at a U.S. Consulate in Canada or Mexico
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Proof of maintaining lawful status in the U.S.
(A) For students, your current transcript.
(B) For scholars, a letter from your department indicating your title, your salary (or, if you are not paid by UNL, a letter from your sponsor indicating the amount and duration of your financial support) and that you will be returning to resume your duties after a visit outside the U.S.
If you are an H-1B temporary professional worker, you should have the following documents:
- A copy of Form-797, Notice of Approval of Petition within the period of validity of the Approval Notice. Your department has the original and can make a copy for you.
- An unexpired Form I-94 (the departure card, often stapled in your passport) noting your current visa classificaion.
- Your valid passport. Even if your U.S. visa stamp has expired, you may re-enter the U.S. from Canada or Mexico, with an expired visa,
(A) if you have not traveled to a country other than Canada or Mexico, and
(B) if you did not stay longer than 30 days, and
(C) if your visa does not carry the notation “212 (d)(3)(A)”
(D) if you have not applied for a new visa at a U.S. Consulate in Canada or Mexico
- A letter from your department indicating your title, your salary and that you will be returning to resume your duties after a visit outside the U.S
See also “Leaving the U.S. and Returning to UNL”, available at International Affairs and on the International Affairs website: unl.edu/iaffairs (click on International Students/Scholars, then Immigration, then Immigration Information).
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