Tara J. Goldsmith Immigration Law Blog on Lawyers.com

Over the last few years the process of applying for a visa stamp abroad has become increasingly difficult.  Gone are the days when you would mail your passport to a Consulate abroad or the Visa Office and a few days later, your passport would be returned with a new visa stamp.  Now most people must apply for a visa in person at a US Consulate abroad and each consular post works a little differently.  Because of that our firm has been much more involved in helping our clients with this part of the process.  They want to make sure that they have everything they need and have done everything correctly when at the mercy of a Consular officer halfway around the world. 

We are very fortunate that because our clients are so prepared for the interview, we rarely get any middle-of-the night emergency calls.  On the other hand, I also usually don’t get a follow up call or email to let me know how the interview went.  I work by the motto “no news is good news” and don’t take it personally because I know how busy my clients are.  That said, when a client does give me feedback it is invaluable.  Unfortunately most consular posts will not let attorneys to be present at an interview and even if they would, it would be very difficult to fly around the world to accompany clients to their interviews (although it sounds very glamorous).   

Today one of my clients successfully returned from a trip to Vancouver, Canada where he and his family obtained H1B/H4 visa stamps.  We have a very nice relationship and he had some time so he sent me a really good summary of his experience at the US Consulate in Vancouver.  I thought it would be really helpful for someone interested in applying for a visa stamp at a US Consulate in Canada.  While Consulates always remind foreign nationals that the first choice post should be in the applicant’s home country, some people that live and work in the US can apply at various US Consulates in Canada, under “stateside jurisdiction.”  For some people, Canada is much faster, cheaper, and easier trip than going home, so it is definitely something to explore.

APPLYING FOR A NONIMMIGRANT VISA AT THE US CONSULATE/VANCOUVER, CANADA

One of the reasons we choose to apply for the visa in Vancouver was that we had to first get a Canadian Visitor Visa to cross the border and there is a Canadian Consulate in Seattle, Washington, just a few hours away by car.  We booked round trip tickets from ATL to SEA which was cheaper than flying into Canada (avoiding international air fare).  We stayed in Seattle for a night, applied for our tourist visas in the morning (about 2 hours) and then drove to Vancouver (about 2.5 hour drive).  We had booked a hotel near the Consulate (the Hampton Inn as our family could get a suite) and preferred to take taxis as parking was difficult in the downtown area.   I heard the Best Western and Marriott are also good choices.

The US Consulate Vancouver is a very small consulate compared to Ottawa (the only other one in Canada that I have been to before) and so it’s a good idea not to get there too early as there is no room to wait.  I would recommend those attending during this time of the year to be well prepared in terms of adequate winter clothing as we had to wait outside a good 20 minutes. The instructions provided in the appointment letter were very clear to NOT carry cell phones, backpacks of any kind, car keys, food items, any electronic devices & sharp objects (babies & strollers are OK, small ladies purse or handbags are OK but strictly no food and not even baby food) and this was strictly enforced. 

They screen one person or a group at a time on Level 1 before sending them to Level 2 to submit the documents/passports.  This floor is basically a small waiting area with LED display and fingerprinting.  After your number is called you then proceed to the 20^th Floor for interviews.  While waiting for our turn, they actually called us because our photos were older than 6 months (I missed that in your instructions).  The waiting area has a photo booth specifically for this purpose and cost about $10 Canadian per person (6 prints per sheet).

We went to 20th floor and were called to a specific counter within a few minutes.  The interview lasted all of 90 seconds and we were only asked a few basic questions.  They were very cordial to my extreme surprise.  First of all, they apologized for making people wait outside in such cold weather due to size limitations.  Then they took the time to explain that our H1B visas have been approved until the petition date.  Finally, they asked about our travel plans and we explained we wanted to return to the US as soon as possible so our children did not have to miss school.  The Consul was kind enough to process the visas in 2 business days and gave me slips to come back to consulate itself to pick up the passports rather than going to a DHL facility (2.15 pm is a standard pick-up time at this consulate every day). 

Vancouver was a beautiful city and overall we had a very nice experience with the visa appointment and interview process.  Thank you so much for all your help!

For more than 30 years, the law firm of Garganigo, Goldsmith & Weiss has been assisting people with immigration, green card or visa issues. For more information on how our immigration attorneys in NY can help, please call us at 212-643-6400, email us online, or visit our office at 14 Penn Plaza, Suite 1020, New York, NY 10122.