US Visa Appointment from Canada 2026: Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary Wait Times and How to Apply

US Visa from Canada - 2026 Quick Answer

Yes. If you live in Canada legally without Canadian citizenship, you can book a US visitor visa (B1/B2) interview there. State Department guidance, in force since September 2025 and updated on 15 July 2026, says applicants should book in their country of nationality or residence.

• Where: the US Embassy in Ottawa or the consulates in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto and Vancouver.
• How: Canada's official booking system, ais.usvisa-info.com/en-ca, after the DS-160 form.
• Proof: a copy of your legal status in Canada, such as a PR card or a work or study permit.
• Fee: $185, non-refundable, valid for 365 days and usable only in Canada.
• Waits: the State Department table dated 21 October 2026 predicts the next B1/B2 slot in about 18 months in Toronto and Vancouver, 11.5 in Ottawa, Halifax and Quebec City, and 11 in Calgary. Montreal had no figure published.
• Faster: the State Department's own Paid Expedite, $750 per person through 31 December 2026, buys an earlier interview if one is available, not a visa.

The wait figures are predictions, not reserved slots, and the table changes monthly. Canadian status alone does not remove the visa requirement: your passport decides.

Who Can Apply in Canada as a Third-Country National

The State Department says Canadian citizens generally need no visitor visa, but permanent residents of Canada do, though in practice nationality decides: PRs from visa-required countries like India, the Philippines or Pakistan need a B1/B2, while a PR with a Visa Waiver Program passport may be able to use ESTA instead.

Work and study permit holders follow the same rule. Anyone booking on the basis of residence needs to be able to prove it.

Booking anywhere else is costly: the State Department warns of a harder time qualifying, no refund or transfer of the fee, and significantly longer waits. The US Mission in Canada adds, in an undated notice, that non-residents can expect about 600 calendar days of waiting.

Diplomatic and official visas are outside the rule, and rare humanitarian or medical exceptions exist.

Check your nationality first

Since 1 January 2026, Presidential Proclamation 10998 has partially suspended B-1/B-2 issuance to nationals of 19 countries, including Nigeria, and fully suspended visas for 19 others, regardless of residence in Canada. Affected applicants may still apply and attend interviews but may be found ineligible; dual nationals using a non-affected passport are excepted. Visa bonds and the interview waiver ban, covered below, also follow nationality. India, the Philippines and Pakistan are on none of these lists.

US Consulates in Canada and Current Wait Times

The US Mission in Canada provides consular services at seven locations: the Embassy in Ottawa and consulates in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto and Vancouver. No one is admitted without a scheduled appointment.

B1/B2 waits on the State Department table dated 21 October 2026 (last month's average / next available appointment, with the change in the next slot since the 17 September table):

• Toronto: 17.5 months / 18 months, down from 20
• Vancouver: 19.5 months / 18 months, unchanged
• Ottawa: 11.5 months / 11.5 months, down from 15
• Calgary: 11 months / 11 months, down from 14
• Halifax: 1.5 months / 11.5 months, down from 15
• Quebec City: under half a month / 11.5 months, down from 15
• Montreal: no figure published

Next-available figures are predictions, and new appointments are added regularly, so earlier dates can appear. Averages show how long last month's interviewees waited from fee payment, and those who moved to released dates waited less. So the low Halifax and Quebec City averages do not mean a new booking gets an early slot. Interview-waiver cases are not included. Student and work visas vary by post: Toronto showed 2 months for F, M and J and for H, L, O, P and Q, Ottawa and Halifax 9 months for students, and Vancouver 18.5 for students.

According to an immigration law firm's summary of the February 2026 table, Toronto then averaged 18.5 months and Vancouver 15, so Vancouver has climbed while Toronto is slightly lower. According to applicant reports on Reddit in September 2026, one applicant never saw Ottawa or Montreal dates and booked Toronto for March 2028.

Applying in your home country is also allowed: on the same table, the next B1/B2 slot was 7.5 to 12 months away at Indian posts, 7.5 to 12.5 in Pakistan and under half a month in Manila. It means travelling there, and the interview still tests your ties.

Getting an earlier date legitimately

• Your own account. Open dates appear only while scheduling or rescheduling, so applicants with a booking check "Reschedule Appointment". Heavy refreshing can get an account deactivated, and bots, scripts and parallel logins break the terms of use.
• Emergency request. It is free, goes through the same system and is decided case by case, generally for a genuine medical or humanitarian emergency or to start work or study in the US.
• Paid Expedite. Since 18 August 2026, B-visa applicants who paid the $185 fee and hold a regular appointment can pay $750 per person for an interview within 10 business days, subject to availability. Payment is due within 10 minutes, the date cannot be changed, the fee is non-refundable and a missed appointment forfeits it.

The consular sections in Canada warn of scammers who sell "earlier" appointments, take over the applicant's account and demand money. A lost appointment cannot be recovered, and no individual or company gets priority. A March 2024 announcement, still posted, adds that free earlier-date offers sent to some long-wait applicants reach only whoever controls the account. We recommend avoiding slot-booking tools advertised on social media.

DS-160, Fee Payment and Booking Step by Step

Canada books through ais.usvisa-info.com/en-ca, linked from the US Mission's visa page. Steps as of 22 October 2026:

• Complete the DS-160 at ceac.state.gov and keep the confirmation number.
• Register on the scheduling site and enter each applicant's DS-160 number.
• Choose where your documents will be returned.
• Pay the $185 fee by Visa or MasterCard, or in cash with a printed slip. Cash can take up to 2 business days to register.
• Book the appointment and attend it.

Since 1 May 2025, the DS-160 number at the interview must match the one used to book, and since 24 June 2025 the site blocks registration with a non-matching one. After payment you can change it yourself only once, at least 3 business days before the interview. For more help, contact the support center. A mismatch on the day means rescheduling, possibly with a new fee. According to an applicant report on Reddit on 16 October 2026, support had not processed a Toronto applicant's fourth DS-160, filed to fix a photo and email before a 2 November interview, within the promised 3 business days.

The fee is valid for 365 days and tied to Canada, and the expiry date is on your Payment Receipt. You book within that year, though the appointment can fall later. After expiry the booked date stays valid, but cancelling, rescheduling or missing it means a new fee.

Depending on nationality, a reciprocity (issuance) fee may be due if the visa is approved. Quebec City has accepted only credit cards for it since 1 June 2025.

Passports are ready up to 3 business days after the consulate hands them to the courier, for Canada Post pick-up with ID or paid delivery within Canada. Uncollected ones go back after 15 days.

Visarun, an agency not affiliated with any government, helps prepare and check the DS-160 and documents. It does not sell appointments, and visa decisions are made solely by the consulate.

Interview Waiver (Dropbox) Eligibility in Canada

Since 1 October 2025, nearly all applicants need an in-person interview. The main visitor exception is a B1/B2 renewal that meets all of these conditions:

• renewing within 12 months of the previous B1/B2 visa's expiry;
• that visa was issued for full validity, at age 18 or older;
• all 10 fingerprints were taken for it;
• it was not lost, stolen or revoked;
• no refusals, unless overcome or waived, and no apparent ineligibility;
• applying in the country of nationality or usual residence, in the consular district where you live.

Officers can still require an interview. Eligibility comes from your scheduling answers: qualifying applicants see the relevant statements and get instructions to courier in (free) or drop off documents. If the statements never appear, you do not qualify or the option is not offered there.

Nationals of listed countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda and Venezuela, cannot use the waiver wherever they apply. Waiver applicants also cannot buy Paid Expedite, which is only for scheduled interviews.

According to an applicant report on Reddit in October 2026, the consulate asked one waiver applicant to courier proof of valid status in Canada along with the passport, photo and DS-160 confirmation.

Documents and Proof of Status in Canada

Canada's scheduling site lists for every applicant:

• a passport valid at least six months beyond the US stay, unless exempt by country agreement;
• the passport with your most recent US visa, if any;
• the DS-160 confirmation page;
• the confirmation and instructions page printed from the scheduling site;
• one 5 x 5 cm colour photo taken within the last 6 months;
• a copy of proof of your legal status in Canada.

In-person applicants bring originals. Waiver applicants courier their passports, the DS-160 page and copies of supporting documents.

The officer weighs the trip's purpose, your intent to leave the US and your ability to pay. Employment and family ties may be enough to show purpose and intent to return. An invitation letter or Affidavit of Support is not needed and is not a decision factor.

Common Refusals and 214(b)

A 214(b) refusal means, per the State Department, that the applicant did not show they qualify for the category and/or did not overcome the presumption of immigrant intent with strong ties, such as a job, a home and family. It covers that application only and cannot be appealed. Reapplying needs a new DS-160, fee and interview, ideally after your circumstances change.

Ties can be in Canada or at home. Recent arrivals, super visa holders and applicants with pending US immigrant petitions typically draw closer questions.

A 221(g) refusal means missing documents or administrative processing, with no new fee. Next steps:

• Follow the letter. It lists what to send and how. You have one year from the refusal to send it, then you reapply and pay again.
• Track the case on CEAC. Appointment support cannot see visa status.
• For administrative processing, the consulate contacts you. Except in emergencies, the State Department asks you to wait at least 180 days after the interview or last documents before asking, and to report a unique hardship to the section that interviewed you.

According to applicant reports on Reddit in October 2026, an applicant interviewed in Ottawa on 9 July had no passport instructions after three months, and one refused in Toronto on 31 August had no decision after nearly two months, against the officer's estimate of 2 to 3 months.

No agency can promise approval. The consular officer decides.

Recent Changes (2025-2026)

• 1 May 2025: the DS-160 number has to match the booking at all consular sections in Canada.
• 24 June 2025: registration blocked with a non-matching DS-160.
• 7 August 2025: interview waiver suspended for listed nationalities, including Nigeria.
• 6 September 2025: country-of-residence-or-nationality rule announced on Canada's site. State Department guidance last updated 15 July 2026.
• 1 October 2025: interview waiver narrowed. B1/B2 renewals within 12 months of expiry remain the main visitor exception.
• 1 January 2026: Proclamation 10998 suspensions take effect, including a partial B-1/B-2 suspension for Nigerian nationals.
• 18 August 2026: $750 Paid Expedite starts at the Embassy and all consulates in Canada, as a pilot through 31 December 2026.
• 2 October 2026: visa bond list updated to about 50 nationalities, including Nigeria, Bangladesh and Nepal. Otherwise eligible B1/B2 applicants from these countries post a $10,000 to $20,000 bond set at the interview, wherever they apply.
• 21 October 2026: new wait-time table. The predicted next B1/B2 slot is 11 to 11.5 months away in Calgary, Ottawa, Halifax and Quebec City and 18 in Toronto and Vancouver.

A $250 visa integrity fee was legislated in July 2025. As of 22 October 2026, the official fee pages for Canada still list only the $185 application fee. Check the fee page before you pay.

The online-presence review, extended on 1 October 2026, covers students, exchange visitors, H-1B workers and other listed categories, not B-1/B-2 visitors.

FAQ

Can I book a US visa appointment in Canada as a PR or permit holder?

Yes. Permanent residents, workers and students living in Canada can book there with proof of legal status, because the guidance allows booking in the country of residence. Nationality still decides whether you need a visa.

Which consulate in Canada has the shortest B1/B2 wait?

On the table dated 21 October 2026, Calgary had the shortest predicted wait for the next B1/B2 slot at 11 months, followed by Ottawa, Halifax and Quebec City at 11.5. Toronto and Vancouver were at 18. The next monthly edition may change this.

How can I find an earlier appointment?

Check "Reschedule Appointment" in your own account for released dates, without bots. Genuine emergencies can request an expedited appointment in the same system, and the only paid route is the State Department's $750 Paid Expedite. We recommend never sharing your login.

Does the $750 Paid Expedite get me a visa?

No. It buys an interview within 10 business days, subject to availability, and the officer still decides. Each person in a group pays, and those refused a free emergency request can still buy it. On Canada's site it appears only to applicants in their country of nationality or residence.

Can I get an emergency appointment to visit a sick relative?

According to an applicant report on Reddit in October 2026, a mother in Canada on a super visa needed to visit a seriously ill sister in the US. The route is the DS-160, the fee and the first available date, then "Request Expedite" with proof. Decisions are case by case.

What happens to my $185 fee if my appointment is 20 months away?

The fee only has to be used to book within 365 days, and the appointment can fall later. That date stays valid after the fee expires, but cancelling, rescheduling or missing it means a new fee. According to an applicant report on Reddit on 21 October 2026, support said a November 2026 Toronto interview booked on a 2024 fee stays valid but cannot be rescheduled. A case pending under 221(g) is not affected by the expiry.

Is there a limit on rescheduling?

According to an applicant report on Reddit in October 2026, a student booked in Vancouver for April 2027 had used up the maximum number of reschedules. We found no official limit for Canada, so check your account before moving a date.

My work permit expired and I am on maintained status. Can I apply?

We found no official guidance on whether maintained status or a pending bridging open work permit counts as legal status in Canada. The consulate decides. We recommend including the pending application's IRCC letter and the expired permit.

Can the consulate cancel my appointment?

Yes. Sections in Canada generally try to cancel at least three weeks ahead, but it can happen later, so the site recommends checking your status a day or two before. The Mission's 2026 holiday calendar also lists 11 and 26 November and 25 and 26 December.