You have gone through the E-Visa application process, and now your company is registered. As your company’s presence in the U.S. market grows, you may need additional employees to work in the United States. The good news is that applying for an E-Visa as an employee of a registered company is much more streamlined than the initial E-Visa application.
As the company has already been determined to meet E-Visa qualifications, applications for employees of a registered company require less documentation. In addition, employees (and qualifying family members) may schedule their consular appointments immediately upon submitting the Form DS-160 online and paying the associated fee. Whereas new E-Visa applications and company re-registrations must be processed through the U.S. Consulate in Toronto, employees of a registered company have their choice of the U.S. Consulates in Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, or Toronto for their interview.
We regularly obtain E-Visas for executive, managerial, and/or specialized function employees on behalf of registered companies, and will be there to assist you every step of the way. Here’s what the process with Cascadia looks like:
The first thing to keep in mind is the timeline. To obtain an E-visa for an employee of a registered company, it generally takes 1-2 months from the time we have all of the required documents in hand. However, this timeline can vary greatly, depending on how far out the chosen U.S. Consulate is scheduling interviews. Therefore, the sooner you contact us and gather the required documentation, the better.
- Several months before the applicant is needed in the U.S., please provide us with:
- An up-to-date resume
- A comprehensive job description including title and responsibilities
- Copies of all degrees, diplomas, and certificates, including any professional certifications
- Copy of applicant’s Canadian passport data page
- Passport photo taken to U.S. specifications – 50 x 50 mm (please scan and email us a high-quality JPG, and keep the hard copy to bring to the consulate)
- DS-160 Questionnaire completed by the applicant
- Signed fee agreement and payment of our legal fees.
- Once we have a signed fee agreement, payment in trust, and the above documents, we’ll complete the Department of State’s “Form DS-160” on the applicant’s behalf and send a draft for review (the DS-160 collects biographic information about the applicant, a description of their present job and the work they will be doing in the United States).
- We will then help the applicant submit the DS-160 online through a screen-sharing program. The applicant is legally required to certify the form’s accuracy and click the “submit” button. Please be aware that filing the DS-160 may trigger phone calls or emails from the Department of State with ‘pre-screening questions’. If you receive such a call or email, you may refer it to us if you wish.
- Once the DS-160 is filed and the fee paid, we will schedule an E-Visa interview appointment at the applicant’s convenience.
- We will send a PDF copy of the full E-Visa application for review. Once it is finalized, we will send a hard copy of the application for signatures and for the applicant to take to their interview.
- We will schedule a prep call in advance of the consular interview, during which an attorney will:
- Answer any questions;
- Discuss logistics (e.g., what to bring, security procedures, possible interview questions);
- Provide information about next steps after obtaining the E-Visa (e.g., I-94’s, Form I-9’s, passport tracking information, NEXUS, and first entry).
- If the visa is approved, the consulate will keep the applicant’s passport for processing and return it via Canada Post within 5 business days of the interview.