U.S. Mission in Canada Announces New Appointment Service for Visa Applicants Coming to U.S.

The U.S. Mission in Canada is transitioning to a new appointment service for applicants applying for a visa to come to the United States. As of September 1, 2010, all services, including calling for information and scheduling an appointment, are being provided at no additional cost, with no requirement that applicants pay phone charges or use PIN numbers to access such services. Applicants should go to this site to obtain information online or via telephone on how to start their application for a U.S. visa at a consular section in Canada.

Beginning September 1, 2010, applicants are required to pay their machine-readable visa (MRV) fee before scheduling an appointment. If the applicant has paid the MRV fee before September 1, 2010, but has not scheduled an appointment, there is a grace period from September 1, 2010, until October 1, 2010 during which the applicant can still use the MRV fee for appointment scheduling. If the applicant does not schedule an appointment before October 1, 2010, he or she will have to pay the MRV fee again through the new service in order to schedule an appointment.

Source: Announcement