Montreal filing guide
Applying for an E-2 visa in Montreal
The submission process, document format and interview steps for applications filed through the U.S. Consulate General Montreal.
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Your Montreal E-2 visa application at a glance
- Submission
- Email Submission
- Document format
- Canada Sectioned Format
- File limit
- 20 MB
- Page limit
- 50 pages
- TCN policy
- Regularly processes TCN cases
- Interview location
- U.S. Consulate General Montreal
Open the official application portal(opens the official site in a new tab)
Requirements reviewed August 2026 · Sources: U.S. Consulate General Montreal(opens the official site in a new tab) and U.S. Department of State(opens the official site in a new tab)
Process
How to apply for an E-2 visa in Montreal
Read this as a sequence, not a menu. Each step depends on the one before it.
- 01
Complete the DS-160
Fill in the DS-160 nonimmigrant visa application online, upload your photo, and print the confirmation page with the barcode. Every applicant needs their own DS-160, including dependants.
Consular Electronic Application Center(opens the official site in a new tab)
- 02
Pay the MRV fee
Pay the machine-readable visa fee through the visa services portal for this post. You cannot book an interview until the payment clears.
- 03
Schedule the interview
Book your appointment at U.S. Consulate General Montreal through the same portal. E-visa cases are often handled by a dedicated unit, so appointment availability differs from other visa categories.
- 04
Email the application package
Send the complete PDF package to EVisaCanada@state.gov ahead of your interview date, and keep the confirmation.
Submissions go to EVisaCanada@state.gov.
- 05
Attend the interview
Present your case at U.S. Consulate General Montreal. Bring the originals behind your evidence and expect questions about the business, the money and how you will run it. Answers that contradict your file are what cause trouble.
Documents
E-2 visa document requirements in Montreal
Submit your application package via email to the consulate.
File requirements
- Format
- Single PDF
- Page limit
- 50 pages
- File size
- 20 MB
Documents submitted separately
These sit outside the formatted package and do not count toward any limit.
- DS-160 confirmation page
- DS-156E
- G-28
- Appointment confirmation letter
- Civil documents, such as birth and marriage certificates
- Passport bio-page copy
Important Montreal instructions
- Email the complete package as a single PDF attachment to EVisaCanada@state.gov — no ZIP files or shared folders.
- Also bring a printed copy of the entire package to the interview for the officer to review.
- Organise the package into tabbed sections with dividers, and subdivide a numbered section into lettered subsections where it holds more than two documents.
- Do not quote the FAM or CFR at length in the cover letter — state precisely how the enterprise and applicant qualify.
Format
The Canadian sectioned binder
U.S. Consulate General Montreal expects the complete package as a single emailed PDF, organised into six numbered sections — and a printed copy of the same package brought to the interview.
The 6 sections
- INationality & Legal Status
- IIOwnership Documents
- IVE-2 Investment
- VE-2 Marginality & Economic Impact
- VIE-2 Real & Operating Commercial Enterprise
- VIIExecutive / Managerial / Supervisory / Essential Skills
What the format requires
- The 50-page limit applies to new cases and renewals alike.
- Forms and civil documents do not count toward the page limit.
- Email the package as one PDF attachment to EVisaCanada@state.gov — no ZIP files or shared folders — then bring a printed copy to the interview.
From Portunus
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Assembling to U.S. Consulate General Montreal's requirements is a formatting problem. Making the business case is the hard part — that is what we build.
- Business plan and five-year financials £99
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- Everything in the plan, plus your full binder assembled to the Canada Sectioned Format — ordered, page-numbered and ready to file.
One-time payment, no subscription. Portunus is document-preparation software, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice.
Third-country nationals
Applying for an E-2 visa in Montreal as a third-country national
Montreal regularly processes E-2 applications from eligible third-country nationals, although acceptance and appointment availability can change.
A third-country national is someone who applies at a U.S. post outside their country of citizenship — for example, a treaty-country citizen who lives and works elsewhere. Consular practice now expects applicants to file where they hold citizenship or permanent residence, so filing elsewhere is the exception rather than the norm. Compare every post by how readily it takes outside applicants.
We rate this post 2 out of 3 for third-country processing, meaning it processes them as a matter of routine. That rating is our own reading of published guidance and applicant reports — it describes willingness to schedule an appointment, not your eligibility for approval, and it carries no official standing.
Policy at individual posts changes without much notice. Confirm the current position before you build a filing plan around it — U.S. Consulate General Montreal(opens the official site in a new tab).
Montreal is one of seven U.S. posts processing E-2 cases in Canada, the third-largest treaty market in the world at 6,747 visas in FY2024.
As at every Canadian post, the rules come from the mission rather than the consulate. One published supporting-documentation index governs all seven, so the 50-page limit, the six numbered sections and the email-then-paper routine are the same here as in Toronto or Vancouver.
The Canadian package, in short
- 50 pages and 20 MB, applying to new cases and renewals alike.
- One PDF emailed to the E-Visa unit before the interview — no ZIP archives, no shared folders.
- A printed copy of the same package brought to the interview.
- Six numbered sections following the mission index: I, II, IV, V, VI and VII, with III left to E-1 trade.
- Forms, civil documents, the passport bio-page copy and the tabs sit outside the page count.
Filing in Montreal in English or French
Montreal serves Quebec and eastern Ontario, and it is the post most likely to be chosen by a francophone applicant. The application itself is a United States government process conducted in English: the DS-160, the DS-156E and the evidence package are all filed in English regardless of the post.
That matters for supporting documents. Corporate registrations, notarised agreements and civil documents issued in French need an accompanying English translation, and building that into your timeline is easier than discovering it a week before submission.
The cover letter the mission asks for
The mission gives an unusually direct instruction: do not quote the Foreign Affairs Manual or the Code of Federal Regulations at length. State precisely how the enterprise and the applicant qualify.
That is a request for argument rather than citation. The officer knows the standard; what they need is its specific application to your business — what the money bought, where it came from, why the enterprise is real and operating, and what you will do in it.
The essentials, recapped
To file an E-2 visa application at the U.S. Consulate General Montreal: build the mission's six-section package inside 50 pages and 20 MB, email it as one PDF to the E-Visa unit, and bring the printed copy to the interview. Translate French-language supporting documents into English, and write the cover letter as an argument about your business rather than a recital of the regulation.
Primary sources
Sources
- Supporting Documentation for New Cases — E Visas — U.S. Mission to Canada
- 9 FAM 402.9 — Treaty Traders, Investors and Specialty Occupations — U.S. Department of State
- USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 2, Part L, Chapter 4 — Treaty Investors — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Treaty Countries — Nonimmigrant Visas for Treaty Traders and Treaty Investors — U.S. Department of State — Bureau of Consular Affairs
- E-2 Treaty Investors — Visa Information — U.S. Department of State — Bureau of Consular Affairs
Alternatives
Other E-2 visa posts in Canada
- Post
- U.S. Consulate General Toronto
- Submission
- Email Submission
- Format
- Canada Sectioned Format
- TCN policy
- Actively welcomes
- Guide
- View Toronto guide
- Post
- U.S. Consulate General Vancouver
- Submission
- Email Submission
- Format
- Canada Sectioned Format
- TCN policy
- Regularly processes
- Guide
- View Vancouver guide
- Post
- U.S. Embassy Ottawa
- Submission
- Email Submission
- Format
- Canada Sectioned Format
- TCN policy
- Limited
- Guide
- View Ottawa guide
- Post
- U.S. Consulate Calgary
- Submission
- Email Submission
- Format
- Canada Sectioned Format
- TCN policy
- Limited
- Guide
- View Calgary guide
- Post
- U.S. Consulate Quebec City
- Submission
- Email Submission
- Format
- Canada Sectioned Format
- TCN policy
- Rarely accepts
- Post
- U.S. Consulate Halifax
- Submission
- Email Submission
- Format
- Canada Sectioned Format
- TCN policy
- Rarely accepts
- Guide
- View Halifax guide
Questions
E-2 visa in Montreal: common questions
How do I submit my E-2 visa application to U.S. Consulate General Montreal?
U.S. Consulate General Montreal accepts the application package by email to EVisaCanada@state.gov. Send the complete PDF before your interview date, and keep the confirmation.
What document format does U.S. Consulate General Montreal require for E-2 visa applications?
U.S. Consulate General Montreal uses a defined structure rather than a free-form bundle: I (Nationality & Legal Status), II (Ownership Documents), IV (E-2 Investment), V (E-2 Marginality & Economic Impact), VI (E-2 Real & Operating Commercial Enterprise), VII (Executive / Managerial / Supervisory / Essential Skills). The 50-page limit applies to new cases and renewals alike.
What is the page limit for E-2 visa applications at U.S. Consulate General Montreal?
The page limit is 50 pages. The submission is capped at 20 MB. Some documents are exempt from the count, including DS-160 confirmation page, DS-156E, G-28 (Notice of Entry of Appearance). Check the requirements section on this page for the full list before you assemble.
Can third-country nationals apply for an E-2 visa at U.S. Consulate General Montreal?
Yes. U.S. Consulate General Montreal regularly processes E-2 applications from eligible third-country nationals. Acceptance and appointment availability change, so confirm the current position with the post before you build a filing plan around it.
How long does an E-2 visa take at U.S. Consulate General Montreal?
We do not publish an estimate for U.S. Consulate General Montreal, because a number invented for a page like this would be worse than none. travel.state.gov publishes current visa appointment wait times by post, and that is the figure to check. Total time is appointment availability plus any administrative processing after the interview. Book flights and shipping only once the visa is in your passport.
What should I bring to my E-2 visa interview at U.S. Consulate General Montreal?
Bring your passport, the DS-160 confirmation page, the MRV fee receipt, your appointment confirmation, and the originals behind your evidence — financial statements, business registration, lease and purchase agreements. Bring a printed copy of the package you uploaded, so you can refer to it during the interview. Expect questions about how you found the business, where the money came from, and how you will run it.
Ready to prepare your Montreal E-2 application?
Portunus builds the FAM 402.9-aligned business plan and five-year financials your case rests on, and can assemble the complete evidence binder formatted to the Canada Sectioned Format — so what you submit matches what the post asks for.
Preparing an E-2 case for a client? See our tools for immigration attorneys. Portunus is document-preparation software, not a law firm, and provides no legal advice.