The Approval Notice (Form I-797) received from the Immigration and Naturalization Service ("INS") is valid only within the United States. The State Department must stamp a foreign national's passport if (s)he wishes to travel outside the U.S. We recommend that a foreign national get his/her passport stamped in Canada. This is because if the U.S. consulate in Canada refuses to stamp the foreign national's passport (which is within their discretion), (s)he can always re-enter the United States. If a foreign national travels directly to some other country using his/her INS approval notice, (s)he may not be allowed to re-enter the United States if the State Department refuses to stamp his/her passport.

In order to get a passport stamped in Canada, a foreign national must make an appointment with a U.S. consulate or embassy in Canada. The appointment line is 1-900-443-3131. If a foreign national cannot make his/her appointment, (s)he must cancel the appointment at 1-888-840-0032, or be barred from re-applying for three months. Once a foreign national has an appointment date, (s)he must determine whether (s)he must obtain a Canadian visitor’s visa.

Once in Canada, you will arrive at the consulate at about 8:00 AM with a complete package from this office, and will be interviewed by a consular officer. If there are no problems, the officer will take your passport and I-94 so they can be stamped. You will pick these stamped documents up the next day after about 4:00 PM. You should, therefore, plan to remain in Canada for three days. If there is a problem, you should call this office so we can speak to the consular officer and resolve the problem. If there is a problem, you should not give the State Department your I-94 form. If you do, you will not be allowed to re-enter the United States.

• Complete name (first, middle, last) of each person seeking renewal.
• The relationship between each person seeking renewal.
• Any other names listed by each person seeking renewal (including maiden) in his/her passport.
• Each persons’ marital status.
• The complete U.S. home address, U.S. business address and foreign home address of each person seeking renewal.
• The date (month/day/year) and place of birth (city/country) of each person seeking renewal.
• The nationality of each person seeking renewal.
• The color of hair, color of eyes, complexion, height, and marks of identification for each person seeking renewal.
• Whether each person seeking renewal has ever applied for a U.S. visa before (either immigrant or nonimmigrant). If yes, give the type of visa sought, where and when it was sought and whether it was approved or denied.
• Whether each person seeking renewal has ever had his/her U.S. visa canceled. If yes, list when and where it was canceled, and by whom.
• List all places each person seeking renewal has lived for the past five years (city/country/dates).
• List all times (month/year) each person seeking renewal has been in the United States.
• List whether each person seeking renewal has: (a) ever indicated to the INS or a consular officer that he/she wants to immigrate to the U.S.; (b) filed an immigrant visa petition; or (c) filed a labor certification application.
  

• For each person seeking renewal, list whether any of the following people live in the United States, and each persons' immigrant status: (a) husband/wife; (b) father/mother; (c) son/daughter; (d) brother/sister; or (e) fiancee.
  

• Each persons’ original passport and Form I-94.
• Each persons’ original INS Approval Notice (Form I-797).
• For each person, a full face passport-sized photograph.
• A letter from your employer (on letterhead) stating the type of business conducted by your employer; your position and detailed job description; and why you need the visa (e.g., to continue working for the duration of your H1B visa).
• An application fee of $120.00 USD.