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PROCESSING OF THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS IN CANADA
In light of recent changes making processing of third country nationals much tougher at the US Consulate in Juarez, Mexico, many third country nationals are now considering processing in Canada instead of Mexico. The two issues which must be dealt with by a third country national seeking to process their visas in Canada are 1) getting a visa to enter Canada from the Canadian government and 2) getting a US Consulate to exercise its discretion to process the visa application. 
With regard to the first obstacle, the Canadian government appears to now be following a policy of issuing visas upon presentation of an I-797 (Notice of Approval), a ticket to the home country and various other required documents. Persons seeking to secure a visa to visit Canada are strongly urged to check with their attorney or Canadian immigration authorities before seeking to enter Canada. 
As for processing at a US Consulate, some good news has emerged from Toronto. The US Consulate in Toronto has recently changed its visa issuance policies and will now process third country nationals who line up before 10:30 am (visas can be retrieved the following day or two days later). This is probably the direct result of the changes in Juarez as well as the fact that the Toronto consulate is no longer processing immigrant visas. This policy has not been officially confirmed by the Consulate, however. 
The Montreal Consulate also has a liberal policy and will process third country national applicants who go to the consulate between 8:30 am and 4:30 p.m. Visas are normally issued one or two days after the consular interview. 
The US Consulates in Ottawa and Quebec City will accept third country national visa applicants by appointment only. Persons interested in scheduling an appointment should contact the consulates. Quebec City's telephone number is 418-692-2095. Ottawa's information line is 900-656-2222. 
The consulate in Vancouver does not accept applications from third country nationals.