The following is a summary of some of the key points in the article “AILA Liaison Questions and NVC Responses on Document Review and Visa Scheduling” published by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) in February 2023:
The National Visa Center (NVC) confirmed that it completed 343,277 documentarily complete cases in FY2022, compared to 342,392 in FY2021. As of 27 January 2023, NVC has completed 140,084 documentarily complete cases in FY2023.
On average, during FY2022, NVC processed 14,974 immigrant visa petitions, received 20,987 ELIS petitions from USCIS, and reviewed supporting forms and documents for another 72,337 immigrant visa cases per month. On average, NVC also processed 1,138 I-129F petitions for Alien Fiancé(e)s per month.
NVC processing times have dropped significantly in the past year, and missing documentation is reviewed in the order it was received. Attorneys can track current processing times on the NVC Timeframes page on travel.state.gov.
Appointment scheduling is done by the consular posts, and post-specific scheduling capacity and local conditions impact the timing of scheduling appointments. In general, posts strive to schedule immediate relative and nonimmigrant K visa interviews within 30 days and current family and employment preference cases within 60 days of receipt of all necessary fees, forms, and documents.
NVC receives I-130 petitions approved by USCIS through ELIS electronically. USCIS still sends all other approved physical petitions (I-140, 1-730, I-129F) to NVC by mail, except for 1-526 petitions, which are emailed to NVC for processing. The transfer of paper petitions from USCIS to NVC can take 2-3 weeks.
NVC updates each post’s scheduling instructions and preferences in collaboration with overseas consular sections on a monthly basis. NVC schedules immigrant visa appointments based on the date the case was deemed documentarily complete, and NVC sends appointment notifications to all case parties’ email addresses or physical mail.
Remzi Guvenc Kulen, Esq.
Kulen Law Firm, P.C.
