NewsAlert! U.S. Consulates in Canada Temporarily Suspend TCN Visa Processing for Summer

A Third-Country Nationals (TCN) is an individual who is not a citizen of the home or host countries.  In the immigration context it is used to refer to individuals who are applying for visas in countries that are not their country of citizenship.  Though U.S. Department of State (DOS) recommends applicants to apply for a visa in the applicant’s home country, U.S. consulates in Canada and Mexico traditionally have allowed certain TCN to apply for a U.S. visa stamp.

In response to queries regarding difficulties being faced by TCN in scheduling visa appointments in Canada, DOS has informed American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) that due to heavy demand by Canada based visa applicants, all the U.S. visa processing posts in Canada have limited ability to accept TCN cases during the peak demand period of June through August.  DOS has advised TCN applicants to either seek appointments at US consulates in their home country or to schedule appointment during non-peak processing time of October, November, and January through May. 

We at Sharma Law Offices are available to discuss options available to TCN applicants or to answer questions from TCN seeking visa appointments in Canada or Mexico.