Welcome to the U.S. Consulate General Calgary
- Visa information: Visit our Visa Navigator for U.S. Consulate General Calgary specific details regarding the non-immigrant visa process, including scheduling appointments and all other visa related inquiries.
- American Citizen Services Information: Visit our information center for Calgary-specific details, including: passport renewal instructions, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad information, and contact details.
The Consulate General serves Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories and handles consular affairs for Manitoba. The Consulate was established in Calgary in 1906 and has been operating in the district for more than 100 years.
About the Consular District
The U.S. Consulate General is located in Calgary, Alberta, a city of more than one million people – and growing. It is the largest city in the province and the fifth largest city in Canada. Nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympic Games which showcased the city’s Western hospitality and roots. The city celebrates its Western heritage every July with the Calgary Stampede and Exhibition. Billed as the “greatest outdoor show on earth,” the Stampede was begun in 1912 by American Guy Weadick. Today, by some accounts, Calgary has the largest per capita population of U.S. citizens outside the United States. It is also Canada’s fourth most-popular destination for new immigrants from other countries around the globe.
The consular district covers a vast area of western and northern Canada, stretching from the borders of Montana and North Dakota to the Arctic Ocean. The Consulate General serves the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. It also handles consular affairs for the province of Manitoba.
The district’s other major cities in Alberta include: Edmonton (the provincial capital), Lethbridge and Fort McMurray. The major centres in Saskatchewan are Regina (the provincial capital) and Saskatoon. The capital of the Northwest Territories is Yellowknife.
The district is bordered to the west by the Canadian Rockies where the historic national parks of Banff and Jasper are popular tourist and conference destinations for Canadians and international visitors alike. Southern Alberta, and the town of Drumheller in particular, is a leading international centre for the study of paleontology that attracts both expert and amateur dinosaur hunters. Throughout the district, there is a significant population of Indigenous peoples.
Key Industries
With its vast reserves of oil and gas, uranium and coal, energy is the district’s key economic driver. Alberta holds the world’s second largest reserve of oil deposits. Saskatchewan is the world’s largest supplier of uranium and both provinces mine coal. Saskatchewan also produces a third of the world’s potash, a key element in fertilizer production. There are significant diamond deposits in Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories and the Territories is one of the world’s four top suppliers of this precious gem.
In response to growing international concerns about climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, the district’s research sector is expanding its activities and expertise in the development and testing of carbon capture technologies as well as alternative energy sources.
Agriculture has been historically important in western Canada and the district remains a leading producer of cattle and other livestock as well as crops such as wheat, oats, barley, rye, oil seeds and pulse crops.
In the area of law enforcement, security and defense, Regina is home to the national training centre for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. There are also military facilities in Alberta at Suffield, Wainwright, and Cold Lake, and in Saskatchewan at Moose Jaw. The Joint Task Force (North) responsible for all Canadian Forces operations and administration in northern Canada is headquartered in Yellowknife.
Education
Major Post-Secondary Institutions
- University of Alberta — Edmonton
- University of Calgary — Calgary
- University of Lethbridge — Lethbridge
- Northern Alberta Institute of Technology — Edmonton
- Southern Alberta Institute of Technology — Calgary
- Grant MacEwan University — Edmonton
- Mount Royal University — Calgary
- Alberta College of Art and Design — Calgary
- Olds College — Olds
- University of Saskatchewan — Saskatoon
- University of Regina — Regina
- First Nations University of Canada — Regina
- Aurora College — Northwest Territories, various campuses — Northwest Territories, various campuses
Read more about the Calgary Consular District in State Magazine (PDF 3MB).
Alberta K-12 Education Links
Alberta’s K-12 education system consists of public, charter and private schools.
In the Calgary area, public schools education is offered through the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic School Board.
Alberta charter schools are autonomous non-profit public schools designed to provide innovative or enhanced education programs that improve student skills, attitudes and knowledge in some measurable way.
The Calgary area also has many private (independent) schools which are selective and rely heavily on tuition from students. They usually offer specialized learning, one example is Lycée Louis Pasteur, which is an international French school that offers enrolment ranging for students from K-12.6
