National Visa Center (NVC) case processing time could be as frustrating to many of you as when you go through the USCIS process. While not many NVC case status messages exist to bother applicants, at some point you are still likely to find yourself waiting for the interview for over months. On top of that, the waiting time at each U.S. embassy/consulate is different, meaning you will have a hard time guessing when the entire NVC tunnel will end. As if this is not enough, NVC case status messages are not really predictable. One case message pops up to one applicant, but the same message happens to not appear to another for some reason, and your application just skips to the next message even when both applications are for a same visa type. In an effort to help you navigate your NVC application process, I put together NVC case status messages for Immigrant Visa (IV) and added what each message means to you.
At NVC
Your case or the DS-260 form has not been submitted yet and is held at the National Visa Center (NVC).
In Transit
The National Visa Center (NVC) has processed your application and scheduled the visa interview. Your case is currently being transferred to the Immigrant Visa Unit at the Embassy.
Ready
This can mean one of two things, either:
Administrative processing
Your application is currently undergoing necessary administrative processing. This processing can take anything from a couple of days to several weeks. In some cases, it can take 60 days or more. If further information is required, the Immigrant Visa Unit will contact you.
Issued
Once the “status” changes to “issued”, you should allow 10 – 15 work days for your passport to be handed to the courier for delivery.
Returned to NVC
Your case has been returned to the National Visa Center (NVC). Please contact NVC for further information. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/national-visa-center.html
Transfer in progress
Your Immigrant Visa case has been transferred to another U.S. Consular office. You should check back for your case status at a later date.
Refused
Please see the letter you received at your interview for more information.
Expiring soon
If you do not apply for your immigrant visa within one year of being advised to do so, your registration is required to be canceled and any petition approved on your behalf is canceled.
Your application may be reinstated and any petition revalidated if, within one year, you can establish that your failure to pursue your immigrant visa application was due to circumstances beyond your control. Please provide a written statement to the Embassy or Consulate outlining the circumstances beyond your control and noting that you still wish to pursue this visa petition.
Expired
You have been notified that your registration for an immigrant visa was cancelled, and any petition approved on your behalf was also cancelled.
Since you have failed to ask for reinstating your application, the record of your registration and any petition approved on your behalf and all supporting documents have been destroyed; any Department of Labor certification has been returned to your prospective employer.
If you are still interested in obtaining an immigrant visa, the petitioner should contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Office of Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) regarding filing a new immigrant visa petition.
Lawfully is the first app to launch the National Visa Center (NVC) case tracking service. Those who applied for IV, especially a family-based or employment-based green card outside the U.S. were able to check their Form I-130/I-140 case status either on the USCIS website or on other third-party platforms. But they couldn't stay updated beyond that using those platforms, where the National Visa Center (NVC) takes over the rest of their case process. Now, with only a few steps, Lawfully bridges the two separate processes and helps you seamlessly track your case from start to finish.
All you need to do is 1) turn on the Lawfully app 2) go to "Add NVC case" 3) select your visa application type and 4) for an IV case, just enter your IV case number. For a NIV case, select your location and enter your application ID or assigned case number. The completion of those steps generates your NVC case on the app. Not only can you overview the history of your NVC case application, but you will also get real-time updates on your NVC case status. Just make sure you turn on push notifications!
Needless to say, all types of NIV applications are available as well for tracking on our app. Only Lawfully is successfully embracing all immigrants, whether you are applying in or outside the U.S. Download the Lawfully Case Tracker app now and experience the unmatchable feature!
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