All You Need to Know About the TCN Visa and Eligibility Criteria

 Applicants for immigrant visas in the United States and Canada are often faced with much confusion regarding the laws and criteria concerned. Many will seek the help of an immigration attorney to avoid making mistakes. We make an attempt to accurately answer some of the most frequently asked questions.

What is the Third Country National visa?
This visa is one that has been received from the US consulate while in a nation that is not the individual’s native country/home nation.

Eligibility Criteria for the TCN Visa

In order to determine whether or not an individual is eligible to be awarded this Third Country National visa, the following criteria is used:

- He or she is a national of a foreign country that has never been without the status while in the United States.
- He or she has not been in US for a period that is longer than that which has been authorized by his/her Immigrations Officer at the time of entry into the USA under any category of visa.

What Documents Are Necessary for the TCN application for a visa?

You will need to have the following documents on hand (original) when applying for your Third Country visa:

-Passport (Valid)
-Current Passport Photo of Self
-Fee for the Visa Application
-Proof for Relations to Native Country
-Documentary proof of legitimate legal standing since last entry into the United States
-Notice of approval for the sought after visa status (in the case that USCIS approval is needed)
-Filled in Non-Immigrant Application for Visa (DS-156 Form)
-Filled-in Supplemental Non-Immigrant Application for Visa (DS-157 Form) – needed for male applicants aged 16-45 indiscriminate of nationality.
-All previously issued I-94 (Records of arrival and departure) that has been received since last time the individual entered into the United States.

Which is Easier – Applying from US Consulates located within the applicant’s native country or applying in the form of a TCN demanding visa?

It is a unanimous conclusion that the individual faces a greater likelihood of encountering difficulty at interview time if the application for US visa is made from outside the individual’s native homeland. Visas will be denied at posts along the borders by consular officers if they are led to believe that indications of a fraud are present. Furthermore, their gap in knowledge regarding the local situation as well as familiarity concerning documents of the home nation may prevent proper adjudication of said case.

Get in Touch with Immigration Attorneys
For a clear and concise picture of the complications involved in applying for a TCN visa, your best hope would be to speak with immigration lawyers that are qualified and experienced in assisting clients with the Canadian immigrations process. You may consider hiring an immigration law firm from here for the consultation too. Your immigration lawyer will be able to guide you most accurately for the particular situation you may be in. Every case is, after all, different. Tailored attention is always the most likely to yield best results.