The United States Embassy in Ottawa has announced that it will be transitioning to a new appointment service for applicants applying for U.S. visas at U.S. consular posts located in Canada.

All United States embassies/consulates in Canada currently use NVARS, which charges a fee for appointment booking services. However, starting September 1, 2010, applicants will visit CSC VISA INFORMATION SERVICES to either obtain information online or via telephone on how to start their application for a U.S. visa at a consular section in Canada. In addition, as of this date, all services including calling for information and scheduling an appointment will be provided for no additional cost, with no requirement that applicants pay phone charges or PIN numbers to access such services.

Applicants who have already scheduled an appointment through NVARS, should pay their visa application fee, known as the Machine Readable Visa (“MRV”) fee, prior to September 1, 2010; they should then bring their Scotiabank receipt to the appointment. It is recommended that applicants who have not yet started their application process wait until after September 1, 2010, to pay their MRV fee and schedule an appointment under the new, no-cost service.

Beginning September 1, 2010, applicants will be required to pay their MRV fee prior to scheduling an appointment. For applicants who paid their MRV fee prior to September 1, 2010, but who have not scheduled an appointment, there will be a grace period from September 1, 2010 until October 1, 2010 during which they can still use their previously paid MRV fee for appointment scheduling. However, if they have not scheduled an appointment prior to October 1, 2010, they will have to pay the MRV fee again through the new service in order to schedule an appointment.