US Transit visa C1 interview? (Bs Aires)

[marquitos]

Hi forum,
I want to fly to Canada and it is looking like a stopover in USA might be necessary. I understand that Argentines need C1 transit visa even for a 2 hour stopover without leaving the airport....
I was just looking at the requirements and it says you need to do an interview but it sounds like it's discretionary. Anyone have any experience with this? Do they always require it? Is there possibility of doing it over skype?

I see there's only one embassy in the whole damn country, in Recoleta and I'm rather far away.

Thanks for any info or anecdotes

 

[elhombresinnombre]

Have you considered flying Copa via Panama? It was a route we looked at in 2019

 

[marquitos]

Yes I was looking and hadn't found that connection.... but now that you mention it, it's back up and running. Great option....
Thanks

 

[ben]

I assume you know all the ins and outs of flying to Canada at this time, aside from the visa requirements.
Firstly, your travel needs to be deemed essential, or you need to be the relative of a Canadian citizen.
Depending on whether that relative is considered immediate or not, you may well need quite a bit of paperwork.
You also need to quarantine at an approved hotel - at your own expense - until the COVID test you are administered on arrival returns negative.
The trip is not for the fainthearted.

I see there's only one embassy in the whole damn country, in Recoleta and I'm rather far away.

The Canadian embassy is in Recoleta, and they cannot help you with a US transit visa.
The US embassy is in Palermo and they are not issuing any visas that do not meet their definition of urgency.

 

[Ceviche]

Yes I was looking and hadn't found that connection.... but now that you mention it, it's back up and running. Great option....
Thanks

Just check . there have been many cancelations on COPA ( for no fault of COPA) but limitations posed by the Government.

Also check possibilities via Bogota and Asuncion.

 

[marquitos]

Hello again everyone. For those of you who are watching flights,

I'm trying to get to Canada some time in August, I have the entry visa so that's sorted. The problem is flights. As an Argentine I cannot go via the United States unless I have a transit visa.....has anyone heard anything in this regard? Are they processing them at the consulate/embassy in Baires?

 

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

A friend told me that they had just got a turno for a B2 visa for November 2022.
Not sure if C category will be being processed any quicker…
If you’re in a hurry can only suggest connecting somewhere other than the USA.

 

[dsp27]

It’s very likely flights to Santiago will resume in August. If you are willing to travel only with Carry on without checking a bag you might consider that option as you would have to do two separate tickets most likely unless you can do Aerolineas and onto Air Canada on the same ticket or maybe pass thru Mexico.
alternatively fly to Europe and connect there to Canada. It’s a a lot of time in the air but you will not have to bother with the US visa. Flights to Europe now go for as litttle as 350 euros one way in August. And from there getting no to Canana is easy as long as you are eligible to enter/travel to Canada under the travel COVID restrictions.