If you're seeking a green card through consular processing from abroad, you will likely become well-acquainted with the acronym "NVC" and the NVC processing fee.
The National Visa Center (NVC) is essential to the U.S. State Department. Once U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) gives the green light to your I-130 green card petition for a foreign family member, it gets passed on to the NVC for the initial steps in the green card process.
The NVC handles pre-processing for family- and employment-based green card applications, specifically for those outside the United States.
They bridge USCIS and the U.S. Consulate or Embassy where your family member is. They gather additional information and evidence before setting up the immigrant visa interview.
Many people want to expedite their NVC case since this process can stretch over several months.
In this article, we’ll give you:
Table of Contents
To understand the NVC processing fees, you must first know the normal NVC case processing process.
Here is a table of the standard fees you should expect during normal NVC processing. You may pay fees online:
| Process | Fee |
| Filing of DS-261 (Online Choice of Address and Agent) | Free |
| State Department’s application processing fee | $325 |
| Employment-based visa application processing fee | $325 |
| Financial support form fee payment | $120 |
Since scheduling your immigrant visa interview can take several months, consider expediting your NVC case.
If your I-130 is in the clear, a visa is up for grabs in your relative's category, and you've checked all the document boxes with the NVC, you can put in an express request for several reasons. These reasons include:
If you fulfill any of these criteria, send a request straight to the NVC at [email protected]. Include a statement or letter detailing your request, and back it up with solid proof.
Remember to include these details in your email request:
After sending your request to expedite your NVC processing, you can bank on the NVC to get back to you in about 30 days. If they give it the green light without any strings attached, it goes straight to the US Consulate or Embassy for interview scheduling.
But if some conditions are attached to the approval, like paying some fees or filling out forms, you'll need to check those boxes first before your case is forwarded to the US Consulate abroad.
However, if a visa is unavailable, NVC won’t be able to help expedite the process. The whole visa process follows the rules in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 and is as strict as it gets. This means there's no backdoor to get a visa when there are none available as per the law.
As for the fees involved in expediting your NVC case and other immigrant visa fee payments, you may inquire via email at [email protected].
You can keep tabs on your NVC case in the CEAS case tracker. Here's what some of the common statuses mean:
Once your file is ready, it's time to set up your embassy interview, book your medical exam, go through the exam, and wrap it all up with the interview.
The NVC processing timeframe varies on several factors. It hinges on your priority date (especially for specific green card applications), the speed of your IV fee processing, the accuracy of your forms, and whether you've got all the necessary supporting documents.
You can check out the NVC Timeframes on the U.S. State Department website for a rough estimate of the processing schedule. They update you on how long the NVC takes to process applications.
If your immigrant visa has expired, reach out to the Immigrant Visa Unit at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate that gave you the visa.
Luckily, you don't need to go through the whole USCIS petition process again, but you might need to fill out a fresh DS-260 form and pay the relevant visa application fees.
Be prepared, though, as you could be asked to get a new medical exam and provide fresh supporting documents, a police certificate, and other documents. Also, keep your expired visa because you'll be asked to turn it in.
In getting your green card through consular processing, think of the NVC as the bridge between UUSCIS and the U.S. Consulate or Embassy where your family member is waiting.
Get familiar with the fees involved and explore the possibility of fast-tracking your case for specific valid reasons. If your situation qualifies, craft a well-documented request to [email protected] to give your application a speed boost.
Although NVC's processing timeline varies, it's wise to stay on top of priority dates and ensure all your documents are in order.
