If you’ve got a national visa center case in progress, chances are that you have a lot of questions and want all of them answered so you can become a green card holder in no time. For example, you will want to know what the purpose of the visa is based on the dictates of the consular officer.
There’s also a good chance that you want to know how long it takes to get it approved. Other information individuals processing this visa would want to know is what supporting documents to bring as evidence.
The National Visa Center, NVC, is an agency in the United States Department of State, which oversees immigration cases and works with the appropriate embassy or consulate to achieve this.
The NVC is responsible for immigrant visa processing of a U.S. citizen spouse of a family member – that is, the visa that grants you entry into the U.S. The NVC will request some documents and take about a week before it will schedule an interview at the US embassy or consulate abroad.
If questions are running through your mind concerning NVC consular processing, follow us as we answer them.
How Long Does the National Visa Center (NVC) Take to Schedule an Interview for a Spouse Visa?
Once you’ve electronically submitted your application with all the appropriate fees and supporting documents. You’ll need to wait about two weeks to three months to get a reply from the NVC. If all your documents are complete and there are no issues with your application, you’ll get a notice. The notice will inform you that your immigrant visa is documentarily complete at the NVC and the date it was completed.
Once you’ve received the confirmation, you should get summoned to an interview at the U.S. consulate within two to six months. After the interview is scheduled, you’ll get yourself checked at a medical facility and then register online.
How Long Does It Take for a Spousal Immigrant Visa Petition to Be Approved?
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It takes around three to five months for a spousal visa to be approved for a U.S. citizen petitioner. Such can apply through the State Department Visa Center as soon as the USCIS approves the Form I-130. If you’re a permanent resident petitioner, you need to wait for the spousal visa to be available based on their priority date.
However, it typically takes 24 months for the spousal visa to be ready, depending on the foreign spouse’s home country. You can apply for the visa through the VSC once the priority date is current; the processing time takes three to five months.
Is NVC Scheduling Interviews for 2021 in 2022?
The NVC is currently scheduling interviews for immigration cases received from the USCIS on or before 4th February 2022. Applicants with cases awaiting review still need to complete all necessary formalities in their applications before their cases are reviewed.
That includes paying all applicable fees and providing required documents and evidence, depending on their petition. The NVC typically schedules an immigrant visa interview once it is done reviewing applicants’ applications.
How long it takes to get an interview scheduled depends on whether or not you submit proof and required fees on time. The required documents to take to interviews include the petitioner’s affidavit of support, supporting financial documents, and civil documents.
How Long Did It Take the NVC to Send an Interview Letter in 2021?
As of 2021, it took the NVC one to two months to schedule a visa interview once you’ve submitted your supporting documents. Either your local U.S. consulate or the NVC will send you a notice informing you of your interview date and time.
Before the USCIS reviews your visa case and calls you for an interview, you must have paid all required fees. Along with the fees, you must have submitted your affidavit of support, DS-260, supporting financial documents, and civil documents.
What Is the NVC, National Visa Center, About?
The NVC, based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is part of the US State Department. It takes over from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services after the latter has approved your green card petition.
Once the USCIS vets and approves your Form I-130, for instance, it will forward it to the NVC for pre-processing. The NVC is arguably one of the most popular acronyms you’ll come across in your immigration journey.
The NVC processes visa applications for intending immigrants into the U.S. looking to obtain a lawful permanent residence status. The NVC will typically request a sizable amount of documents, including application forms and fees, to process your case.
Once it gets what it needs, it will send you a notice that your application is successfully received and your interview date.
How Can You Adjust Your Status If You Are in the United States?
When a visa for your immigrant petition is available or the DOS (Department of State) believes one will be available in a few months. The NVC will send you a letter to know your intention, to which you can respond that you want to adjust status.
Then, the NVC will hold on to your file until your (or any) local USCIS office requests it. That’s because the NVC isn’t in charge of processing requests for adjustment of status.
Thus, if you plan to adjust your conditional status when you’re in the U.S., you’ll need to contact a USCIS office near you. If the NVC requests for fees, don’t pay; instead, indicate that you want to adjust your LPR status. Then, reach out to any USCIS office nearest to you for further information.
What Is the First Step Towards Obtaining an Immigrant Visa?
The first step towards applying for and obtaining an immigrant visa is filing a Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. You will file the form with the Department of Homeland Security, USCIS, for your spouse.
You need to maintain your principal residence or domicile in the U.S. if you want to file the petition. It is required that the citizen sponsor lives in the U.S. and files the Affidavit of Support unless otherwise stated.
When Do You Need to Upgrade a Petition?
You must upgrade your petition if you filed it when you were a green card holder and are now a U.S. citizen. You need to upgrade the petition from F2 (family second preference) to IR (immediate relative).
If children are involved, you need to file separate immigrant visa petitions for each child. You need to do that if you didn’t when you were a permanent resident card holder.
A separate petition is required because minor children are not beneficiaries of derivative status in an IR (immediate relative) petition. However, children born after you become a U.S. citizen may qualify for U.S. citizenship and should apply for passports.
A United States consular officer determines your child’s eligibility for citizenship and passport.
How Many Agencies Handle Family Immigrant Visa Petitions?
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and National Visa Center (NVC) handle the immigration process of family members. The petitioner first fills Form I-130 with the USCIS, and the USCIS reviews and approves (or denies) the petition.
Once the USCIS approves the I-130, it typically sends a notice by mail informing the petitioner of its decision. After this, the USCIS forwards your approved immigration case to the NVC.
The NVC will create a case for your immigrant visa as soon as it receives the approved I-130 petition. Then, it will email you instructions on the next step to take, which includes logging in to their online system.
As an intending immigrant, you will log in with the visa number and invoice number that came with the notice. The timeframe between when the NVC receives the approved petition to when you get a notification is typically 3-4 days.
The Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) is the NVC’s online system; you will pay two fees. After paying, you’ll be requested to fill out a national visa petition, DS260, for your family members coming into the U.S.
The system will also require you to upload electronic scanned copies of birth certificates, your family member’s passport, and other documents needed for immigrant visa inquiries by an intending immigrant.
What Documents Does the NVC Require for the Petition?
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The documents you will need to send to the NVC include:
- Valid passport biographic data or biodata page showing your name, picture, and other pieces of relevant information.
- Your birth certificate; it should be translated if it isn’t written in English.
- If you’re married, you’ll include your marriage certificate – it should also be translated to English if it is written in a foreign language.
- If you’re divorced, you’re required to send any divorce decrees you have – also translated.
- If you’ve ever been arrested in your home country or anywhere, you’ll need to present any court or prison documents.
- The U.S. passport, taxes, and Form I-864 of the U.S citizen who petitioned for you.
- Police certificates for your home country and every country you’ve lived in for at least six months since you were 16.
- In the case of a death medical emergency, you will need to provide details of the medical examination.
You can also find out other details like priority dates, expiration date, visa number, and progress of the application process on the USCIS website. Other places to look into for more information include the Nationality Act, the embassy or consulate you are making the application to.
What Is the Best Way to Send Your Forms and Documents to the NVC?
The NVC would normally dictate how it wants you to send the documents; follow the guideline accordingly. For instance, if the NVC wants you to send copies of your documents to their email, then mail them in.
On the other hand, if they want you to scan and upload your documents like marriage certificates or military records into their system, then do that. To know in what format to send the documents, log in to the CAEC with your invoice number and case number. You can also consult the consulate overseas if there is any custody documentation relating to a foreign spouse you are not conversant with.
Why Not Work With Richard Herman?
Do you have a pending immigrant visa petition or are you looking to become a lawful permanent resident of the United States? Then, you must know it is not always an easy step to take as you must have the requisite civil documents needed for the permanent resident status. At times, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services can be a hard nut to crack and that is why you need the services of a reputable firm for your immigrant visa applications.
With several years of experience working with different individuals seeking to be lawful permanent residents, Herman Legal Group stands out as the best immigration law firm to engage. We can help you with the entire application process from consular processing, medical examination, vetting details of every family member, reviewing your police certificate, and interfacing with the relevant government agency. Our lead attorney, Richard Herman is skilled in this and has been globally recognized by various state department’s governing bodies.
To get started with us, you can schedule a consultation by calling +1-216-696-617 or booking online to talk with Richard Herman. These consultations can be held virtually on Zoom, Facetime, Skype, or Google Meet, and for those in the United States it can be held at our firm.
Conclusion
Only a U.S. citizen or green card holder can bring their spouse to live in the United States. Applying for a spousal immigrant visa in the United States isn’t easy; it is very easy to make mistakes. That’s why we often recommend hiring the help of an immigration lawyer to avoid costly mistakes during your immigrant visa application. You can get a reliable and experienced immigration attorney at a top law firm in the U.S.; ask for recommendations if you’re unsure.
The U.S. takes its immigration laws very seriously, and applying for a visa solely for immigration purposes attracts severe penalties. With a good attorney-client relationship, you can complete your alien registration without problems. Your attorney will guide you through relevant forms you need to fill out during the immigrant visa application and help you understand other things, including the visa bulletin. For instance, you’re not to pay the legal fees at consulates overseas where your interview took place unless otherwise stated.
