On December 2, the U.S. Department of State announced that the U.S. Embassy/Consulates in Mexico “have resumed limited processing of routine student and work visa appointments, including TN visas, as local conditions allow.” DOS advises that “applicants should expect to experience delays in appointment availability,” but that individuals with an urgent need for travel can request an expedited appointment.

To request an expedited appointment, an individual would apply for a TN visa stamp using the normal process, e.g. submitting a DS-160 application, but at the time of scheduling the visa appointment, the applicant would request an emergency appointment. The applicant would have to show some urgent business need for his/her services on behalf of the employer, e.g. for emergency response / public health purposes related to Covid 19; to conduct ongoing medical research; or to assist an employer in meeting a critical US infrastructure need (chemical, communications, dams, defense industrial base, emergency services, energy, food production). If the expedite request is approved, the consulate/embassy would schedule the applicant for a visa interview generally within 1-2 weeks.