Finnan, Fleischut & Associates

Policy Changes for Third Country Nationals’

Visa Processing in Mexico

Normally, a foreign national is expected to apply for a visa at a U.S. consulate in his or her home country.  However, a U.S. consulate in another country can agree to accept a visa application from a “third country national.”  (“Third country” refers to the fact that the applicant is not from the country where the consulate is located, nor from the U.S.)  For some time now, “third country nationals” (TCNs) have sometimes found it convenient to apply for a visa at one of the U.S. consulates in Canada or Mexico. 

The U.S. Consulate General recently posted changes to the requirements for visa applications for TCNs who are not residents of Mexico.  Under the new guidelines, two groups of applicants can still apply for visas at U.S. consulates in Mexico:  1) applicants seeking to renew their visa in any category except B-1/B-2 (business visitors or tourists) whose initial visa in that category was issued in the applicant’s country of former residence; or, 2) applicants seeking to renew their visa in any category except B-1/B-2 whose initial visa was issued in their home country and subsequent renewals were issued in the past few years by a consular post in Mexico.

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