Getting a US visitor visa is not an issue but currently, they are not scheduling any interviews due to COVID. Since March they’ve shut down and no openings in near future at least for the Toronto consulate.
Of course, that makes sense! Thanks for responding!
Does anybody know if there is a way to get an appointment for B1/B2 visa? Based on what I saw on their website that they have opened interview slots for immigrant visas and emergency basis for non-immigrant ones. I am pretty sure, we wont qualify for emergency ones, but wanted to check with wider audiences of anything I might be missing.
No, you’re not missing out on anything. There is going to be a pretty massive backlog of tourist visas where people had paid fees but haven’t been able to schedule appointments for an interview. So I’m going to have to guess that it’s going to be an extremely long wait for a US tourist visa for anyone thinking of applying afresh. As to how long this backlog is, we will known when they open up the bookings again and I’m sure people will post details of how long the wait times are.
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My friends here cannot believe that we’ve lived in the US that long and don’t get any priority when it comes to getting back in the country 
That’s just the US for you 
I’ve tried applying for one today and even though they accepted our visa fees, no slots are available for the near future at least.
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How near in the future are we talking? Like, 3-4 months out?
I haven’t completed my DS160 yet, wondering if there is a way to check earliest appointments?
Ottawa has no slots available. The first available slot in Toronto right now is in Dec 2022.
Yikes ok. That is worse than I thought. Thanks for the info though.
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I took my B1/B2 interview successfully yesterday.
Notably:
- Don’t wait for the ‘wait time’ to go down by checking the generic static webpage on the embassy website. I did this mistake and waited for around 9 months only to see no change there. Finally, I paid the fee and realized that slots we already available to be booked. Official U.S. Department of State Visa Appointment Service | Canada | English
- After I booked, I checked daily once for earlier slots opening up. Got lucky only because of this particular persistence.
- Look up all locations. I have usually seen most openings in Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary consuls.
- I interviewed in Ottawa. It was very early in the morning, and was able to complete the whole process in about an hour. In Ottawa consul, you can bring your phone and they have a small storage for phones, keys. I was allowed to carry only my docs and my wallet inside. Also, don’t arrive more than 15 mins before your assigned time. You won’t be allowed in and it gets freezing cold outside. The interviewer was easy on me, and asked me what I did in US before, which US university I studied in etc. No document apart from my passport, a pic, PR card and my DS-160 was asked for (in my case), You should carry all necessary docs though.
My slot booking timeline:
- Dec 2021(Vancouver) (Booked in March 2021)
- Later was able to update to Sep 2021(Montreal).
- In late July 2021, I was told that my interview was cancelled. Booked the earliest slot available at that time which was July 2022 (Vancouver).
- Updated to March 2022(Montreal) later.
- Updated to Dec 2021(Ottawa) later.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that some info on DS-160 may get outdated since we are dealing with such long timelines (I have moved since and my address got updated) and you can’t update DS-160. You can create a new DS-160 but won’t be able to update the new DS-160 number on the visa appointment website if you have an active slot booked. I used my original DS-160 and was upfront during the interview about the changes that have happened since I created that. I also had the summary page of a new DS-160 with me, in case they would prefer to link my application to that but they ended up using the original one, and the lady at the document prep window (the first window you go to, right before the interview) updated my address manually.
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Thanks for that detail post @abshk
Does it matter if the application is for tourist or business purpose?
As far as I know, it’s the same one visa for both purposes (called, B1/B2). If you happen to mention a business purpose, they may ask for relevant documents. The same for a medical purpose.
In my case, I told them that I wished to visit my cousin in the US and would also like to visit US as a tourist in future. He seemed content with those reasons. Also, I have held this visa for 10 yrs before and that might’ve helped.
Have an answer ready (possibly with documentation) for:
- What is your purpose for visiting US?
- How do we know that you will return back to Canada? Usually employment, family, business, school etc.
- How will you finance your trip? Bank statement etc.
I think, for any well-settled PR in Canada, it shouldn’t be too hard (unless, they have something like DUI charges on them etc).
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following…
Did anyone successfully apply for US B2 Visitors visa while having I-140 approved after moved from US on H-1B to Canada on PR/WorkPermit?
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Why would an approved I-140 have anything to do with US visitor visa? We did get the visa 2 weeks ago…moved from US 2 yrs ago and have approved I-140 but it was no where linked/mentioned in our application.
Yes.in a way you’re right that I140 is not linked to visitor visa. I’m trying to find the odds of visitor visa approval based on other factors like stay in canada and status. In my case, it’s 6-9months (not 2yrs) and work permit (not PR).
I’m confused whether to book an appointment now and get rejected or wait until I get PR and apply later.
Would you mind sharing the interview experience, questions asked as well as POE experience using visitor visa?
Just to share my experience, I got my B2 visa in February via the Calgary consulate.
I moved from US to Canada in Nov. 2020 on a work permit (still on a WP and waiting for EE draws).
The visa officer only asked two questions during the interview - purpose of visit, and my qualifications.
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Thanks! @RohsOttawa, I’m waiting for positive experiences from WP holders before making an appointment and now I think I can book an appointment.
Mind sharing your answers if not personal?
I heard if you apply for visitor visa of US then they will cancel already stamped H1b visa in your passport… Is that not true?
I heard mixed responses as to it depends on purpose of travel every time so they can’t simply cancel H1 as the purpose might change next time. This is one of the reasons I was skeptical of applying for B2 visa yet
Sure.
For the purpose of visit, I simply mentioned ‘Visiting a friend and shopping’.
And for qualification, I just mentioned my undergrad degree.
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Thanks for the reply, I just booked an appt 10/20/22, the earliest available. Hope they don’t cancel my H1 stamp valid until 2023.
btw, what times of the day did you see new appointments if you experienced any?