Many persons in the US who are on a Non-Immigrant Visa may either extend their status or change to a different non-immigrant status. A non-immigrant status may allow them to stay in the US and/or legally work if they posses a work visa. However, if their current visa stamp in their passport is expired or is about to expire, they will need a new visa stamp before entering into the US again. This also applies if they are to travel overseas. It is important to understand that legal status and visa stamps are two different matters. More details.

A person on a Non-Immigrant Visa has two choices for visa stamping:

1. Go to a neighboring country like Canada or Mexico
2. Go to their home country for visa stamping.

If they are eligible, many people prefer to go to Canada or Mexico because of their geographical proximity to the US.

US Consulates in Canada are located in the following cities:

- Calgary
- Halifax
- Montreal
- Ottawa
- Quebec City
- Toronto
- Vancouver

US Consulates in Mexico are located in the following cities:

- Ciudad Juarez
- Matamoros
- Nogales
- Nuevo Laredo
- Tijuana

All of these US Consulates are collectively referred to as border posts.

Such applicants may encounter difficulties at the time of interview when they apply for a visa outside of their home district.  Many times, the visa may be denied because the consular officer may not be familiar with the documents in the applicant's home country, or they believe that fraud indicators are present in the applicant’s file.

Due to an April 1, 2002 change in regulations, applicants will only be able to reenter the United States if they are found eligible for a new visa and actually have the visa stamped in their passport. I-94 forms (even if valid), accompanied by previous expired visas, will no longer be valid for the automatic re-entry of persons traveling from C anada or Mexico if during their visit they applied for a new visa that has not, in fact, been issued.

You can go to visa stamping in Canada or Mexico if you were never "Out of Status". You can use the I-797 form, EAD card, I-94 form, paystubs, etc. to prove your status. If you cannot prove that you are "In Status" or were actually "Out of Status", you need to go to your country of citizenship for visa stamping.

If you have ever been "Out of Status" because you overstayed your visa or I-94, you are not eligible to apply in Canada or Mexico.

If you are changing from any non-F1 (i.e. B1, H4, J1) to H1 status, you should consult an immigration attorney before going to Mexico for visa stamping.

Citizens of six countries currently designated as State Sponsors of Terrorism (Cuba, Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, North Korea) are not eligible to apply at the border posts.

Mexico rules:
If you are not a citizen of Mexico and are currently staying in the US, you can apply for a new visa in Mexico for the following visa types:
- student
- exchange visitor
- journalist
- religious
- temporary worker (H, L, O, P)
- crew

If you would like to get visa stamping for visitor, transit, diplomat, treaty trader, treaty investor, H1A, H2A, H2B or Q worker, you must apply for a visa in your home country if you are not a citizen of Mexico.
Visa for crew is not available at Nuevo Laredo.

All visa applicants must make an appointment for a visa stamping interview. You should apply well in advance (2-3 months ideally) of any anticipated travel to avoid any delays or inconvenience. Advance planning will also give you enough notice to request time-off from work and find the lowest airfare to the US city nearest to the consulate in Mexico (if you plan to fly).

Only one appointment will need to be scheduled for the primary applicant, spouse and dependent children.

Appointments can either be scheduled on the Internet or by phone.

All appointments taken either online or by phone need to be scheduled at usvisa-mexico.com.
Make sure to click the 'English' button at the top-center of the web page as the information will be displayed in Spanish by default.

Appointments for petition-based visas are assigned independently. Therefore, make sure to clarify the visa type you are applying for when you call to schedule an appointment.

Online:
You will have to pay $10 to create a login account.

You will be asked to enter the information online for all relevant forms such as DS-156, DS-157 and DS-158 that you can print out. If you make a mistake when filling out the forms, you can change your information in the online forms and regenerate the bar code. You can do this as many times as you like.

It is absolutely critical that the bar code is clearly printed, is clean, and complete on pages 1 and 3. Otherwise, all the information will have to be typed again and a new barcode will need to be generated.