U.S. Department of State And the National Visa Center (NVC)
On April, 1994,
the U.S. Department of State opened a permanent Immigrant Visa processing facility known as theNational
Every month, the Visa Office which is part of the NVC establishes Qualifying Dates--the latest
priority dates--that can be processed for certain visa categories to determine
if a petition will be eligible for processing. An immigrant visa petition
becomes ready for further processing when the Qualifying Date in the appropriate Visa Category
advances up to thePriority Date of the Petition.
However, several petitions may remain at NVC for months or years depending on theVisa Category and Country of Birth of the visa applicant. Indeed, as soon
as an applicant/petitioner’s priority date meets the most recent Qualifying
Date, the NVC contacts the applicant and/or petitioner for submission of
appropriate processing fees and necessary supporting immigrant visa application
documentation.
To find out about the cutoff dates of your VISA Category, call
Further Processing of an
Applicant Or Petitioner’s Case at the NVC Depends on Whether Such Case Is
Current Or Not (Meaning, Whether Visa Number
Is Available for the Applicant or Petitioner).
After approving
an applicant/petitioner’s petition, the USCIS sends him/her a Notice of
Approval (I-797) and then forwards the petition to NVC. After NVC receives the
petition from the USCIS, it creates a case record and assigns the approved
petition a case number. If the applicant/petitioner has not heard from the NVC
after receiving the Notice of Approval (I-797), she/he must wait at least THREE WEEKS before calling the NVC about further
action(s) on their matter. Nowwhat happens at the NVC
depends on whether or not the applicant/petitioner’s case is current.
If the
applicant/petitioner’s visa category is an immediate relative
category (spouse, parent or child (under 21) of aU.S. citizen) then it is automatically current.
But if the applicant and/or petitioner’s visa category is one of the family preferences or employment
categories, there are legal limits on the number of visas that
can be issued in each category. In most categories, the demand is higher than
those limits. In one of the family
preferences or employment categories, the Visa Office of the
NVC establishes a waiting list based on the applicant/petitioner’s priority
date, which is the date the sponsor filed
his/her petition with the USCIS. The cutoff dates established
by the Visa Office of the NVC determine when the applicant/petitioner’s
petition will be reached for processing. Thus, the applicant/petitioner’s
petition becomes current and ready for further processing when the cutoff date
in visa category has advanced up to his/her priority date (meaning, visa number
is now available for them).
Whenever a case
becomes current, the NVC sends the beneficiary of the petition and/or an Agent
of Choice an Address letter containing the Form DS-3032 to be completed and returned
accordingly. Also, the NVC sends an Affidavit of Support,
Form I-864 to the
sponsor (petitioner) to be completed and returned with a processing fee
(Affidavit of Support Fee is $70; Immigrant Visa Fee is $355; and the Security
Enhancement Fee is $45) and necessary supporting documents.Note: these fees may change with time.
On the other
hands, if an applicant/petitioner’s case is not current, the NVC will send
him/her a letter informing them that it has received their file from the USCIS
and will hold it until his/her case becomes current. Since the NVC cannot predict when a case will
become current, thus, it is the responsibility of the applicant/petitioner to
monitor the movement of the CUTOFF DATES as the Visa Office of the NVC
announces it every month to learn when their Priority Date is reached.
In order to find out about the
cutoff dates of your Visa Category, you may call the
Eligible Alien Workers in the
If eligible alien
worker(s) and/or their dependents who live in the
Please Note that Those Applicants Or Petitioners Who Plan to
Adjust Status with the USCIS Should Refrain from Submitting Any Fees to the NVC
Because the NVC will not Transfer Them to the USCIS.
Those who filed a
petition for their relative as legal permanent resident (or green card holders)
and happen to become U.S. citizen before the petition is effectuated should
upgrade that petition by sending a courtesy copy of their Naturalization
Certificate (NOT the original) to the NVC with a letter stating the
beneficiary name and case number of the upgraded petition.
Condition(s) Under Which the
NVC Can Expedite Immigrant Visa
Indeed, if an
applicant/petitioner’s relative case is not current, there is nothing that the
NVC can do to expedite visa processing for such applicant(s). Why? It is because immigrant visa
processing is governed by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, as
amended, which controls visa categories, priority dates and the availability of
visa numbers. Besides, immigrant visa numbers are made available strictly in
the order of priority dates. There is no provision within the law that would
allow the NVC to waive numerical limitation in any individual case.
However, if an
applicant/petitioner relative’s case has a visa number available (that is, the
petition is within the current Cutoff Date), the NVC
has expedite procedures for applicants/petitioners with life or death medical
emergencies. In this case scenario, the applicant/petitioner may wish to
request a review to expedite his/her case by submitting proper medical
documentation(s) supporting a life or death medical emergency to the NVC. If
there is ground for granting such request, the USCIS will expedite it
accordingly.