Who Can Be Issued a Visa at a U.S. Consulate Border Post?

Not everyone is eligible to apply for a visa at a Consulate in a third country. You are only eligible to do so if you have never been out of status in the U.S. because you overstayed the terms of your visa. If you remained in the U.S. longer than the period authorized (as indicated on your Form I-94), you are required to apply for a new visa in your country of nationality. If you are not certain whether you have violated your immigration status, please check with the OISS.

You should also be aware that you may be more likely to encounter some difficulties at the time of your visa interview when you apply outside your home country. Consular Officers are instructed to deny your visa application if they have reason to believe they cannot properly adjudicate your case. Some of the reasons you might be denied a visa include suspicion of fraud, insufficient knowledge of local conditions in your home country, unfamiliarity with documents from your home country, or, if you are a student or an exchange visitor, failure to provide sufficient evidence that you will return to your home country at the end of your stay in the U.S.

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Appointments are Required

If you are not a citizen of Canada or Mexico, you must make an appointment to apply for a visa at one of the U.S. Consulates located near the U.S. border in Canada or Mexico. U.S. Consulates are located in Canada at: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Toronto and Vancouver. Border Consulates in Mexico are in Cuidad Juarez, Matamoros and Tijuana.

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Scheduling an Appointment

You may schedule an appointment for your visa application at a Border Consulate via telephone or the internet.

Via the Internet:

Third party nationals wishing to make an appointment for a visa application in Canada or Mexico may do so using the State Department's internet-based appointment system.

By Telephone:

From the United States, call 1-900-443-3131 to make an appointment in Canada or Mexico. From Canada you may call 1-900-451-2778. There is a substantial per minute charge for these calls and many dormitory, office, hotel or pay phones do not permit 1-900 calls. If you are unable to make a 1-900 call, and wish to charge the call to your credit card, you should call 1-888-840-0032 from a touch tone phone. Be sure to have your credit card number handy.

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