Canadian Landed Immigrants from East Africa and other listed countries will need a visa to enter the USA

The following announcement released regarding new US visa requirements for Canadian Landed Immigrants of commonwealth citizenships (including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Pakistan, India and others) may apply to several members of our community. More details are provided on the site:

Public Announcement Concerning Visa Requirements for Permanent Resident Aliens of the Commonwealth and Ireland (Landed Immigrants) Residing in Canada

1. Beginning March 17, 2003, except as noted below, all landed immigrants in Canada seeking to enter the United States as non-immigrants must possess a valid passport and non-immigrant visa in order to enter. This requirement will apply to citizens of the following Commonwealth countries who were formerly exempt from visa requirements:

Please note: 1) Hong Kong nationals holding either British National Overseas or Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports will require visas. 2) The countries in bold italics participate in the Visa Waiver Program. Citizens of those countries are not required to possess visas if they are traveling for business or tourism and their stay will be less than 90 days. Non-Commonwealth landed immigrants who are citizens of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program are unaffected by this regulation change.

2. Effective immediately, U.S. consular sections in Canada will accept non-immigrant visa applications by mail from landed immigrants residing in Canada who are citizens of the Commonwealth countries listed above and Ireland. Information about applying for non-immigrant visas, and all necessary application forms, can be found at the following Internet address: www.state.gov/travel. To find the application forms, go to the "Visas" section on that page, and click on "Visa Forms."

3. Commonwealth landed immigrants applying for non-immigrant visas must submit the following:

- evidence of landed immigrant status;

- a form DS-156, fully completed and signed. Separate forms must be submitted for each applicant, even if applicants share a single passport;

- an application fee in the amount of $100.00 U.S. per applicant, paid in cash if applying in person or to the U.S. Treasury in the form of a money order or certified check if applying by mail (**see Toronto section below for special fee instructions for that consulate);

- a passport valid for travel to the U.S. The passport must have an expiration date at least 6 months beyond the intended duration of the visit;

- 1 current (less than 6 months old) photo of the applicant, 37mm x 37mm, (1.5 inches x 1.5 inches), full face, without head covering, against a white background;

- in addition to the form DS-156, all male applicants between the ages of 16-45 must submit a completed and signed form DS-157, with street addresses and telephone numbers where required;

- applicants for student (F or M) or exchange visitor (J) visas must also complete a formDS-158;

- any appropriate supporting documents, such as proof of employment or studies, home ownership or other commitments in Canada, and evidence of any prior travel to the U.S.;

- applicants for student visas (F-1) must submit Form I-20, applicants for exchange visitor visas (J-1) must submit Form DS-2019 (Form IAP-66, if issued and dated prior to August 31, 2002, is acceptable) and applicants for H and L visas should submit Form I-797 and the supporting I-129;

- if applying by mail, a self-addressed stamped postal envelope, or a pre-paid express delivery envelope, must be provided for the return of passports. Passports will be mailed only to Canadian addresses.

Further information about the application procedure, supporting documents, etc. can be obtained at this web address: www.state.gov/travel. Go to the "Visas" section on that page, and click on "Visa Services for Foreign Citizens." Please do not call the Embassy or consulates with questions.

4. In situations where travel must be undertaken immediately, landed immigrants residing in Canada should book an appointment for a visa interview. To book an appointment and obtain further information by e-mail, use this web address: www.nvars.com (cost: CD 10.00), or call the following numbers in Canada: 1-900-451-2778 (cost: CDN 2.00/minute) or 1-888-840-0032 (cost" CDN 1.50/minute with a credit card). Regardless of whether a visa application is made by mail or in person, travel plans should not be finalized until the visa has been issued, as some applications may take 60 days or longer after receipt to process to completion.

5. Completed applications are to be submitted to the consular section with jurisdiction in the applicant's place of residence. Consular section areas of jurisdiction and addresses are as follows:

Consular Section, American Embassy Ottawa: Eastern Ontario (Kingston, Lanark, Leeds, Prescott, Renfrew, Russell, and Stormont) Western Quebec (Gatineau, Hull, Labelle, Papineau, Pontiac, Tamiscamingue, Baffin Island, District of Franklin). Mailing address: Consular Section, American Embassy, Box 866, Station B, Ottawa, ON K1P 5T1. (regular mail only)

American Consulate Vancouver: British Columbia and Yukon Territory Mailing address: 1095 W. Pender St., 21st Floor, Vancouver, B.C. V6E 2M6

American Consulate Calgary: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northwest Territories. Mailing address: 615 Macleod Trail SE, Suite 1000, Calgary, Alberta T2G 4T8.

American Consulate Montreal: Southwestern Quebec (except for those areas immediately east of Ottawa) Mailing address: NIV Unit - CLI Program, P.O. Box 65, Postal Station Desjardins, Montreal, Quebec H5B 1G1

American Consulate Toronto: Ontario (except for areas east of Kingston) Mailing address: 360 University Ave., Toronto, ON M5G 154 **Individuals applying for visas in Toronto must first deposit the $100.00 U.S. application fee at any branch of the Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) in Ontario. A special pre-coded 4-part deposit slip (one per applicant) can be downloaded from www.amcits.com. It can also be obtained by calling 1-900-451-2778, as part of the appointment process at www.nvars.com, or in person at 360 University, Toronto.

American Consulate Québec: Northeastern Québec (including Abitibi-West, Abitibi-East, St. Maurice, Trois Rivieres, Nicolet, Wolfe, and Frontenac), Nunavut Mailing address: 2 Place Terrasse Dufferin, Québec City, Québec G1R 4T9

American Consulate Halifax: New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island Mailing address: Suite 904, 1969 Upper Water Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3R7