What to expect

The interview itself usually lasts 2 to 8 minutes; the morning around it takes 2 to 3 hours. Your case was already reviewed on paper before you were invited to interview, so the officer is confirming that you personally know your business, your money and your plan, not re-reading your package.

Read this once a week before the interview and again the night before. Bring it printed; you cannot bring your phone inside.

Getting there, parking and arrival time

The visa entrance is 225 Simcoe Street, the rear of the consulate building at 360 University Avenue, between Queen and Dundas. Do not go to the University Avenue doors. Osgoode and St. Patrick subway stations are each a short walk; the line forms outdoors on Simcoe Street under rope barriers.

Arrive 60 to 75 minutes before your appointment time. Applicants who arrived an hour or more early were sometimes let in before their slot (one 7:30 applicant was interviewed and out by 7:55). Security staff have told applicants the entry time is flexible, but the E-2 line moves in order of arrival, so earlier is better. Do not arrive two hours early in winter; you will stand outside.

Parking

The lots applicants actually used are directly behind the consulate:

LotAddressDetails
Impark Lot 2 (206 Simcoe St) Enter from 63 St. Patrick St, exits to Simcoe Steps from the entrance; exits straight onto Simcoe Street
121 / 122 St. Patrick St garage St. Patrick St, north of the consulate Used by a recent E-2 applicant; exits directly to Simcoe
180 Dundas St W garage Dundas and Simcoe Larger backup, 5 minute walk
63 Centre Ave lot East of University Ave Cheapest nearby, 4 minute walk

Reserve online the night before (SpotHero lists all four; daytime rates run roughly CA$11 to CA$21). Street parking is scarce and ticketed, and is not recommended.

Leave your phone, key fob and electronics in the car. You will walk from the car with your document folder, wallet, car key and nothing else. If you took transit, plan where the phone goes before you leave home: a companion who waits outside, a hotel safe, or a luggage-storage shop. The consulate has no lockers and will not hold items.

Dress for weather. Expect 30 to 60 minutes outdoors before you reach security, in any season.

What to bring

Five items get you through the door; everything else is backup. Carry them in a single slim folder or clear envelope (no backpack, no large bag).

Required at the checkpoints (each applicant, including spouse and children)

Required for dependents

Some officers never ask for these.

Strongly recommended

The consulate says to bring it; most officers never open it.

Also bring

If you are not a Canadian citizen, bring the original document proving your legal status in Canada; it is checked at the first window.

What not to bring

Anything on this list stops you at the door, and the consulate has no lockers, no storage and no exceptions. You will have to leave the line to get rid of it and may lose your slot.

People who cannot come in: your attorney, a friend, a driver, parents, or children who are not visa applicants. Only applicants on the appointment enter. Anyone else waits outside on Simcoe Street or meets you afterward; there is no waiting area.

Two things not to do

Do not bring a new or different DS-160 than the one tied to your appointment. Do not bring the phone "just in case" — several applicants watched others get pulled from the line for it.

The morning, step by step, and how long it takes

Budget 2 to 3 hours from joining the outdoor line to walking out.

  1. Outdoor line, Simcoe Street. Hold up your passport bio page and slide your DS-160 confirmation through the plexiglass window; it gets stamped. Non-citizens show proof of Canadian status here.
  2. Security. Airport style: belt, metal detector, everything in the folder goes through the scanner.
  3. Hallway document desk. DS-160, DS-156E, photo and Canadian status are checked again; your passport goes into a coloured folder that marks you as an E-2 applicant. (5 min)
  4. First counter inside the hall. DS-160 scanned, visa photo scanned and returned; for families, the marriage certificate is often collected into the folder here.
  5. Second counter. Fingerprints for everyone 14 and older.
  6. The E-2 line. A separate rope line feeding two or three windows that handle only E visas. Accounts range from 45 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. Families hold one place in line and dependents join at the window.
  7. The interview. Random window assignment. 2 to 8 minutes for most; up to 15 minutes if the officer reads through the file or has a question about your history.
  8. Exit. The officer keeps the passport (or gives mailing instructions); you walk out. The hall is small and crowded, so there is nowhere to sit while a family member finishes.

The interview itself

You stand at a plexiglass window with a microphone; the officer has your emailed package and DS-160 on screen and has usually skimmed them before calling you. The first thing most officers do is ask for the signed DS-156E and read it for 30 to 60 seconds. Then 4 to 9 questions, a short pause while they review, and a decision at the window.

What the officer is actually testing

The paper case was already reviewed by the E-visa unit before you were invited to book. At the window the officer wants to confirm three things in person:

  1. You know your own business and your own numbers without reading them.
  2. The money is yours, lawfully earned, and already at risk in the business.
  3. You are running a real company that will employ Americans, not buying a job for yourself.

How to answer

If you see a flag on screen

Prior ESTA denial, old DUI, a previous visa refusal: the officer may raise it. State the fact in one sentence, what happened next, and stop. "My ESTA was denied in 2022 because of a prior arrest that was dismissed; I was then issued a B-1/B-2 visa."

Questions you must be able to answer

Practice each answer out loud until it is under 20 seconds.

Asked in nearly every interview

QuestionWhat they are checkingYour answer should contain
What is your business? / What does it entail? Real and operating One sentence: what you sell, to whom, how you make money
Where is it located? Real premises City, state, street if asked; whether you lease or own
How much did you invest? / How much so far? Substantial, at risk The total, and the portion already spent vs. committed
Where did the money come from? Lawful source of funds Two lines: savings from X job or business, sale of Y, inheritance, loan secured on Z
Do you have employees? How many? Are they U.S. citizens? How many in the future? Not marginal Current headcount, their roles, and year 1 / year 3 / year 5 targets from the plan
Are you being persecuted or harmed in Canada? Do you fear harm if you return? Standard screening (asked of everyone, sometimes of each family member) "No."

Prepare for but less common

Numbers to memorize

Write them on your one-page sheet, then memorize the sheet: total investment; amount spent; the three largest expenditures; source of funds; ownership split; current employees; employees at years 1, 3 and 5; year 1 and year 3 projected revenue; monthly rent; your salary; the date you incorporated; the date you signed the lease.

Spouses and children

The whole family stands at the window together; the officer talks mainly to the investor and asks the spouse one or two questions. Children are rarely spoken to.

After the interview

Approved at the window

The officer says so, keeps your passport and tells you to expect it back. The consulate's posted estimate is 7 to 10 business days. You get an email when the passport is handed to the courier, then a second email when it is ready.

How the passport comes back

It goes to whatever you chose when you booked: a Canada Post pick-up location (free) or home or office delivery within Canada (paid add-on, purchased in your usvisa-info account). For pick-up you need photo ID, proof of address and the tracking number; you can name a third party to collect it at booking time. Anything not collected within 15 days goes back to the consulate. Choose a location near where you will actually be the week after the interview, not near the consulate.

Traveling home without a passport

Canadian citizens flying domestically can use a driver's licence; several applicants did exactly that. If you must leave Canada before the visa is issued, tell the officer: they can return the passport and have you mail it in, which delays issuance until it arrives.

Reciprocity fee

Canadian citizens pay none. A spouse or child on another passport may; the officer will say so and the fee is paid before issuance.

Administrative processing (221(g))

The officer hands you a sheet instead of saying approved, usually because a document is missing or a security check is pending. It is not a denial. Send what was asked the same week; call us before you send anything.

Refusal (214(b) or E-2 specific)

Rare after the paper review, but possible. You keep your passport, you get a letter, and we talk the same day about whether to reapply with new evidence.

First entry

The visa stamp shows the validity (for Canadians generally up to 5 years, multiple entry); each admission at the border is for up to 2 years. Keep the DS-156E copy and the package in your carry-on for your first entry; CBP occasionally asks the same questions the officer did.

Mistakes we see, and the final-week checklist

Mistakes that cost people their slot or their visa

Seven days out

The night before

Morning of