Canada

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Canada - U.S. Consulates

There are two consulates which process family based visas in Canada, Montreal and Vancouver.

IR1/CR1/IR5

All IR1 /CR1 and IR5 visas will be processed/interview at Montreal.

K Visas

K visas are processed/interviewed at both Montreal and Vancouver, depending on your Province of Residence:

Manitoba and West: Vancouver

Ontario and East: Montreal

1 Direct Consular Filing in Canada
2 Police Checks
3 Visiting the U.S. while your visa application is pending
4 Montreal IR1/CR1 Interview Letter
5 Vancouver K1 Visa Interview Letter/Checklist
6 Medical Examinations for immigrant and K visa applicants - Montreal Consulate - updated October 17th, 2008
7 External links

Direct Consular Filing in Canada

Filing your I-130 at your local U.S. Consulate is permitted in Canada. Both the Petitioner and the Beneficiary must live in Canada and attend the initial interview. There are residency requirements that must be met in order to use this service, generally you must have a visa that allows you to stay in Canada for at least 6 months. Instructions can be found on the AMCITSsite.

Although you can file your I-130 at your local office, the beneficiaries interview will still take place in Montreal or Vancouver, depending on your location and type of visa applied for.

Police Checks

Inside Canada

There are two types of police checks:

Canada wide name check (Certificate of no conviction)
Full fingerprint version (Certified Criminal Record Check)

Canada-wide name check

These can be obtained at your local police station or RCMP office. The name check only takes a week or two, sometimes they can be obtained on the spot. Prices for police checks vary from station to station. When requesting this service, inform the agent that you are seeking a Canada wide police check for immigration purposes.

Note: If you obtain your police check from the RCMP please note that there is a difference between "Criminal Record Check" and "Canadian Police Certificate" the Canadian Police Certificate has been found to be accepted.

Full fingerprint version

Applicants who have been convicted of a crime in Canada must contact their local RCMP office to obtain a “Certified Criminal Record Check,” which lists an applicant’s criminal history, indicating the section of the Canadian Criminal Code under which the applicant was charged, the disposition of the case, and the penalty imposed, if any. Obtaining a Certified Criminal Records Check requires submission of a fingerprint chart; the RCMP could take between two and twelve months to process a request for a Certified Criminal Record Check.

See: RCMPor the Commissionaires

Outside Canada

Applicants who are not physically present in Canada must obtain a Certified Criminal Record Check by sending a duplicate set of fingerprints (taken by a local police force) to the RCMP.

Visiting the U.S. while your visa application is pending

Entry in to the U.S. is not technically prohibited while you are waiting for your visa to process. The final say on whether you will be admitted to the U.S. to visit during this period lies with the U.S. Border Protection at your port of entry.

Visa applicants, generally, are expected to provide evidence that they are intending to return to their country of residence. Therefore, applicants should provide proof of “binding” or sufficient ties to their home country or permanent residence abroad. This may include documentation of the following:

Property ownership (or rental agreement)
Employment contract or statement from employer stating that the position will continue when the employee returns (expected date of return)

In some cases the visa applicant is not asked for this proof, however it can be requested at any time and it is advisable to carry this information with you when crossing the border.