Updated November 12, 2026

US visa interview appointment in Toronto: booking, 225 Simcoe Street entrance, wait times and prep

You book a US nonimmigrant visa interview in Toronto by completing Form DS-160, paying the application fee, and scheduling through Canada's U.S. Department of State Visa Appointment Service on ais.usvisa-info.com. Although the U.S. Consulate General's main address is 360 University Avenue, all visa applicants enter through the dedicated Visa Services entrance at 225 Simcoe Street, and non-residents of Canada face an estimated wait time of about 600 calendar days according to the U.S. Mission to Canada (ca.usembassy.gov). Starting May 1, 2025, your DS-160 confirmation number must match your appointment booking or you must update it at least 3 business days before your interview.

Who needs a US visa appointment in Toronto and how wait times work

Foreign nationals who want to enter the United States generally must obtain a US visa in their passport first, unless they qualify for visa-free travel under the Visa Waiver Program administered by the Department of Homeland Security. In most cases, Canadian citizens do not require visitor, business, transit, or other visas to travel to the United States, and US citizens never need a US visa.

If you live in the Greater Toronto Area or elsewhere in Ontario as a Canadian permanent resident, work permit holder, or international student on a study permit, Canada is your country of residence. The U.S. Mission to Canada instructs nonimmigrant visa applicants to book their interview at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their country of residence or nationality.

Your residency status shapes how long you will wait for a slot in Toronto. Residents in Canada check live category wait times on the State Department's Visa Appointment Wait Times page at travel.state.gov. Applicants who do not reside in Canada face a separate queue with an anticipated wait time of about 600 calendar days.

Choosing the right Canadian post matters too. While the U.S. Consulate General in Montreal handles nonimmigrant visas on an emergency-only basis so it can prioritize Immediate Relative, K fiance(e), and mission-critical immigrant visas, the U.S. Consulate General in Toronto schedules regular nonimmigrant visa appointments.

Toronto US visa appointment rules by applicant status, from U.S. Mission to Canada guidance

How to schedule your Toronto US visa appointment step by step

Canada uses the U.S. Department of State Visa Appointment Service at ais.usvisa-info.com for nonimmigrant visa fee payments, scheduling, rescheduling, courier selection, and emergency requests. Do not confuse it with scheduling portals used in Asia or Europe. Follow these steps in order so your application number does not get locked to an incomplete form.

• Confirm your exact visa category before starting. Short-term travelers going for tourism, business, study, exchange, or temporary employment complete the online Form DS-160. If you are traveling on a B-1 business visa and your spouse or children want to come along, USCIS rules require each family member to apply separately for a B-2 visitor visa because B-1 has no dependent visa classification.
• Complete and submit Form DS-160 first. Fill out every section accurately, check your passport details and travel history, submit the form, and save the confirmation page with your application ID barcode. Wait until your DS-160 is complete before reserving a Toronto slot.
• Create your account on ais.usvisa-info.com for Canada. Select nonimmigrant visas, enter your personal details and your exact DS-160 confirmation number, and choose Toronto as your consular post.
• Pay the nonimmigrant visa application fee (the MRV fee). Visa application fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. Under U.S. Mission to Canada rules, any MRV fee payment made on or after October 1, 2022, is valid for 365 days from the date the fee receipt is issued.
• Book your interview or submit your interview waiver within the 365-day receipt window. You only need to schedule your appointment or submit your mail-renewal waiver application during those 365 days. There is no requirement that the interview itself take place inside the 365-day period.
• Check for earlier dates through your account if your initial slot is months out. When applicants cancel or the Toronto consular section opens new capacity, you can reschedule inside your ais.usvisa-info.com account without paying a new fee as long as your receipt remains valid.

The DS-160 matching rule in Canada and worked update example

Starting May 1, 2025, every nonimmigrant visa applicant interviewing at any consular section in Canada must bring a DS-160 confirmation number that matches the exact application number recorded in the Visa Appointment System. If you arrive at 225 Simcoe Street with a DS-160 confirmation page that does not match your appointment profile, consular staff will turn you away, require you to reschedule, and you may have to pay a new visa application fee.

Mismatches happen for two common reasons. First, a travel agent or third-party assistant reserves an appointment slot using a temporary or unfinished DS-160 number before filling out the real form. The U.S. Mission reminds applicants that you remain responsible for everything presented at your interview even if an agent prepared your booking. Second, an applicant spots an error on an older submitted DS-160, fills out a corrected DS-160 with a brand-new barcode, and forgets to update the scheduling portal.

The Visa Appointment System allows you to update your DS-160 confirmation number up to one time without canceling your existing appointment, provided you make the change no later than 3 business days before your appointment date.

Worked example written by our team (invented applicant): Priya lives in Mississauga on a work permit and booked her Toronto B-1/B-2 interview ten months ago. On the Thursday before her next Wednesday morning interview, she reviews her old DS-160 and sees her previous employer listed instead of her current Toronto company. Because Wednesday is still four business days away, she completes and submits a fresh, accurate DS-160 on Thursday evening. Immediately after submitting it, she logs into ais.usvisa-info.com, opens the Applicant Summary Page, clicks the gear icon, selects Edit, replaces the old barcode in the DS-160 Number field with her new submitted confirmation number, and clicks Save. She prints the new DS-160 confirmation page for Wednesday. Had she waited until Monday afternoon, fewer than 3 business days before Wednesday, or had she already used her single allowed edit earlier on an unsubmitted draft, she would have risked losing her interview.

• Log into your Canada visa appointment account on ais.usvisa-info.com at least a week before your interview to verify your DS-160 confirmation number.
• On the Applicant Summary Page, click the gear icon next to your name and choose Edit if the number does not match your final submitted DS-160.
• Paste the complete, accurate DS-160 confirmation number into the DS-160 Number field and click Save no later than 3 business days before your interview date.
• Never spend your single allowed update on a draft DS-160 that you have not submitted yet, because you can update the field without canceling your booking only one time.

Getting to 225 Simcoe Street and Toronto consulate security rules

One detail catches Toronto visa applicants off guard every week: the U.S. Consulate General has two street frontages. The main building address is 360 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1S4, on the west side of University Avenue between Dundas Street and Queen Street. Do not line up on University Avenue for a visa interview. The entrance for all Visa Services is on the back side of the block at 225 Simcoe Street. Only American Citizen Services visitors use the entrance listed in their separate citizen-services confirmation email.

Getting there by TTC subway is straightforward. The consulate sits midway between the St. Patrick and Osgoode subway stations. From either station, walk one short block west to Simcoe Street. Consulate operating hours are Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. For general consulate inquiries or after-hours emergencies, the main phone line is 1-416-595-1700, and the dedicated Visa Information and Call Center number is 1-437-887-1448.

Everyone entering U.S. Consulate grounds must follow security directives covering identification, electronic items, and personal conduct. Consular security screens every visitor at the 225 Simcoe Street door, and arriving with restricted electronics or bags can force you out of line to find off-site storage and miss your window.

• Read your appointment confirmation email the day before to confirm your arrival window and the current restricted-items list for 225 Simcoe Street.
• Leave phones, smart watches, laptops, tablets, earbuds, and backpacks at home, in your hotel room, or with a trusted companion waiting at a nearby cafe off consulate grounds.
• Carry your documents in a plain, thin folder and dress for outdoor Toronto weather, since visa check-in lines form outside the Simcoe Street entrance.
• Masks are optional. The U.S. Mission encourages visitors over age two to wear a mask for the health and safety of staff and applicants, though face coverings are not required.
• Come alone unless you need language help. Visa applicants may bring a translator if they cannot speak English, though the Toronto consulate also has staff on hand who translate commonly spoken languages in Canada. General companions and relatives not applying for a visa are only admitted for American Citizen Services appointments.

Pre-interview checklist: social media settings and documents

Work through this preparation plan during the seven days before your Toronto appointment so nothing derails your check-in or triggers an avoidable delay after your interview.

Pay special attention to the U.S. Mission's social media vetting directive if you are applying for a student, exchange, fiance(e), or work visa. Individuals applying for an A-3, C-3 (if a domestic worker), G-5, H-1B, H-3, H-4 dependent of H-1B and H-3, F, I, J, M, K-1, K-2, K-3, Q, R-1, R-2, S, T, TN, TD, or U nonimmigrant visa are instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all social media accounts to public or open. Consular teams use this access during vetting to establish identity and admissibility under US law.

• At least 3 business days out: If your DS-160 number does not match, use your single allowed Edit on the Applicant Summary Page to save the complete, accurate DS-160 confirmation number before the 3-business-day cutoff.
• 1 day out: Plan your route to St. Patrick or Osgoode subway station and arrange to travel without electronics or bags.
• Interview day: Go directly to the dedicated Visa Services entrance at 225 Simcoe Street rather than 360 University Avenue, and bring a translator if you cannot speak English.

What the consular officer checks at your Toronto visa interview

Once you clear security and biometric intake inside 225 Simcoe Street, your interview with the consular officer takes place at a glass window and lasts only a few minutes. The officer already has your DS-160 on screen. Your job is to give brief, truthful answers that match your form and establish every requirement of your visa category.

Rather than memorizing a rehearsed speech, review the core questions Toronto applicants hear most often, understand what each question tests, and know which facts and papers back up your answer.

• What is the purpose of your trip to the United States, and how long will you stay? Checks that your activity fits the visa class and has a definite end date. Be ready to state your exact destination, travel dates matching your DS-160, and specific purpose, such as a family visit for B-2 or a conference on set dates for B-1.
• What is your legal status in Canada, and how long have you lived in Ontario? Checks whether you are genuinely established in your country of residence rather than applying in Canada as a short-term visitor. Know the start and expiry dates on your PR card, work permit, or study permit and carry the original document.
• What do you do in Toronto, and who is paying for your trip? Checks two core requirements described by USCIS for temporary visitors: sufficient funds to cover your trip and stay in the United States, and binding ties to a residence outside the United States that you have no intention of abandoning. State your exact job title, employer or university, annual income or sponsor details, and carry a recent employment letter or enrollment verification.
• Who is traveling with you on this trip? Checks consistency with your DS-160 and confirms that any accompanying spouse or child holds a valid visa or submitted their own separate visa application.
• Tell me about your US employer, petition, or degree program. Asked in H-1B, F-1, J-1, and other work or study interviews to verify you understand your role, worksite, or academic curriculum and meet admissibility requirements. Keep your petition approval or school forms at the top of your folder and verify your social media accounts are set to public beforehand.

How to request an expedited emergency appointment in Toronto

If an unexpected, time-sensitive event requires immediate travel to the United States before the earliest regular Toronto slot, you can ask for an expedited appointment. The U.S. Mission to Canada states that expedited processing is approved only in the most urgent cases.

For nonimmigrant visas, you cannot email the consulate directly to bypass the booking system. First complete Form DS-160, pay the MRV fee, and schedule the earliest regular appointment available on ais.usvisa-info.com. Once you hold a confirmed booking, use the emergency appointment request option inside your ais.usvisa-info.com account and follow the portal's instructions to explain why you must travel immediately and attach supporting proof.

Immigrant visa emergencies use a separate channel. Applicants facing an urgent immigrant visa matter who need to travel immediately are directed by the U.S. Mission to contact its dedicated immigrant visa unit and check the immigrant visa contact page on ais.usvisa-info.com.

B-1 business visitor rules and family applications from Toronto

Many Greater Toronto Area permanent residents and work permit holders interview at 225 Simcoe Street because their Canadian employer sends them across the border for client meetings or industry events. Under USCIS B-1 guidance, qualifying temporary business activities of a commercial or professional nature include consulting with business associates, attending a scientific, educational, professional, or business convention or conference on specific dates, negotiating a contract, settling an estate, and participating in short-term training.

Know the boundary between business visits and work. Performing local employment or labor for hire in the United States is prohibited on a B-1 visa. Certain personal or domestic servants accompanying nonimmigrants in B, E, F, H, I, J, L, or TN status (or US citizens living or stationed abroad) and certain foreign airline employees can qualify for B-1 status when their duties connect strictly to foreign employment, and may request an Employment Authorization Document on Form I-765, though working for another US employer violates status.

At the US port of entry, an immigration officer authorizes your admission and sets your stay on Form I-94. If you later need to stay past your Form I-94 date without leaving the United States, you must file Form I-539 with USCIS before your authorized stay expires.

B-1 temporary business visitor stay limits and family rules, from uscis.gov, as of January 25, 2025

Practice example

What is the purpose of your trip to the United States, and what ties bring you back to Canada?

Start by naming the exact reason for your trip, the city you will visit, and your planned travel dates so they match your Form DS-160. If you are applying for a B-1 business visit, state the specific permitted activity, such as attending an industry conference on set dates, consulting with business associates, or negotiating a contract, and make clear that you will not perform local work for hire in the United States. Next, point directly to your residence and obligations in the Greater Toronto Area that ensure you will return at the end of your limited stay. Name your legal status in Canada, your job title, employer or academic program in Ontario, and how long you have lived here. Have your valid passport, your matching DS-160 confirmation page, proof of your Canadian permanent residence or work or study permit, a current employment or enrollment letter, and conference registration or meeting details organized in your folder in case the officer asks to see a document.

The consular officer is checking that your planned activities fit the visa class, your stay has a definite end date, and you maintain a residence and binding ties in Canada that you do not intend to abandon. Matching your spoken dates and employer details to your DS-160 shows consistency in the few minutes at the window.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with the U.S. government or the Department of State.