Let’s talk a bit about E2 visas for Canadians. Approximately 50 percent of our clients are Canadians, so we are familiar with the consulate in Toronto. Today we will cover some updates regarding Canadians applying for the E2 visa in 2025.
Canadian E2 visa interviews
What are the updates for E2 visas in Canada? We’ve got a few. So, let’s start with the positive stuff. Positive things are Canada is still processing and interviewing many E2 visa applicants. In fact, Toronto is one of the most popular consulates in the entire world for E2 visa interviews. So, if you go there, you are in great hands. The consular officers there have a lot of training on the E2 visa. They really understand it well.
E2 visa interviews are in Toronto
Although not an update, it’s worth an extra moment to remind you: if you are Canadian and you want to apply for the E2 visa at the consulate, you will need to go to the U.S. consulate in Toronto. I know our British Columbian friends and some others throughout the country kind of get bummed out about that, but that is the case. You will need to go to Toronto.
New in 2025 – all family members at the E2 interview
Now, an update. Starting in September of this year, every family member applying for the E2 visa – including children and spouses – everyone will need to go to the interview. I know what you’re thinking, “Angie, I only have two kids. One’s six months old, one’s three. Surely the babies don’t need to go to an interview.” Yes, they also must attend an interview in person. They need to go to Toronto and be physically present for the E2 interview. As mentioned, this is something that is new. Prior to that, kids under the age of 14 did not need to be at the E2 visa interview, but they now do. So, you will need to plan that flight. If you are in the middle or on the West Coast, you will need to plan that flight to Toronto for everybody. Everybody’s going to have to go to the interview.
Requests for evidence
We were seeing a trend in Toronto for “RFEs” for E2 visa applicants. Over the summer, we were seeing a lot of RFEs, also known as a request for evidence. So that usually happens via email and it usually happens after the E2 application is submitted, but before the E2 visa interview. This is when the consulate sends an email that says, “Hey, please submit these additional documents. We don’t understand some of the documentation.” Or, “We need additional documentation for this application.” In our prior experience in Canada, RFEs were incredibly rare. We had only received one prior to this summer in all the years of applying for the E2 visa in Toronto. That RFE was sent to us for an applicant who applied during COVID; and there was a very long time between application submission and interview due to consulate closures. Other than that, we had never received an RFE. Then, in May and June, we received a rash of RFEs all within a couple of weeks of each other. The good news is we are no longer receiving those types of RF; but the cause of these are still unclear. We are no longer receiving them because our applicants’ documents were clear? Are we no longer receiving them because summer training of officers is over? Maybe it’s because the consulate isn’t as backed up? We just don’t know for sure. Nobody outside of the consulate in Toronto knows for sure. But it appears that a lot of those RFEs are starting to kind of go back to normal levels, which is great news.
That said, if you receive an RFE, the good news is that doesn’t mean that you’re denied. In fact, most RFEs are approved, at least in our experience. But if you do get one of those RFEs via email, please respond to it. That’s going to be critical.
No third-country nationals
Historically, the consulate in Toronto was very friendly to interviewing E2 applicants known as third country nationals. A third country national is a citizen and resident of one country; but for whatever reason, must conduct an interview in a third country (not their country of citizenship/residency and not the U.S.) Citizens/residents of certain countries who either weren’t processing E2 visas or were very slow to process them would apply for the E2 visa in Toronto. The U.S. consulate in Toronto Canada was somewhat friendly to third country nationals. Sadly, this is no longer the case.
So, if you are from a country where you thought, “Oh, I’ll go to Canada for an E2 interview. It’ll be way faster and more streamlined.” Or, “The E2 visa consular officers in Toronto understand the E2 visa better than in my home country.” Whatever the reason was, that is no longer an option.
So, if you’re from a country where there’s a long wait time between application and interview (and there are still a handful of them around the world that has lingered on since COVID), you will still need to apply in your home country or a country where you have legal residency with a visa. So, keep that in mind.
More positive E2 visa news
Those are the Canadian E2 visa updates. Again, let’s bookend it with some positive information. The U.S. consulate in Toronto is processing and interview tons of E2 visa applicants, as always. The team in Toronto is very well trained. You’re generally going to be in great hands if you go to the U.S. consulate in Toronto.
So, if you are from Canada or anywhere and are interested in the E2 visa, give us a call anytime. We’d love to speak with you about your E2 visa.
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