Great NEWS!! Green Card Backlog Decreased in January: When will NVC schedule my interview?

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In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick shares the latest news regarding the Immigrant Visa backlog at the National Visa Center as of January 2024. 

If you would like to know more about this important update, please keep on watching.

Did you Know? Every month the Department of State’s National Visa Center (NVC) publishes an Immigrant Visa Backlog report, which provides data and statistics relating to the current status of worldwide visa operations, including the number of documentarily complete immigrant visa cases currently at the National Visa Center waiting for interviews, the number of cases that were scheduled for interviews at the end of each month, and the number of immigrant visa cases still waiting to be scheduled for a visa interview after interview appointment scheduling was completed at the end of each month.

Overview

According to the National Visa Center’s Immigrant Visa Backlog Report for the month of January 2024, there has been a slight decrease in the immigrant visa (IV) backlog from 304,773 pending cases in December 2023, to 292,105 pending cases in January 2024 still waiting to be scheduled for a visa interview. By comparison, in November of 2023, there were 311,550 pending cases waiting for interview scheduling.

This reduction is a great sign because it shows that the National Visa Center is consistently decreasing the immigrant visa backlog, and scheduling more and more appointments for immigrant visa interviews at U.S. Consulates and Embassies worldwide.

Additionally, when comparing the December 2023 and January 2024 Immigrant Visa backlog reports, we can see that the number of immigrant visa applicants whose cases were documentarily complete and therefore ready to be scheduled for an interview at Consulates and Embassies decreased from 341,392 (as of November 30, 2023) to 337,870 (as of December 31, 2023).

  • A case is considered documentarily complete by the National Visa Center, when the applicant has paid all necessary fees and submits all necessary documents to meet the formal visa application requirements, such that the case is ready to be scheduled for a visa interview. When a case becomes documentarily complete, the NVC sends applicants an email to notify them that their case is complete and pending scheduling at the local Consulate or Embassy.

January 2024 Immigrant Visa Backlog Report

Number of IV applicants whose cases are documentarily complete at NVC and ready for interview as of December 31 337,870
Number of documentarily complete IV applicants scheduled for January 2024 interview appointments 45,765
Number of eligible IV applicants still pending the scheduling of an interview after January 2024 appointment scheduling was completed 292,105

December 2023 Immigrant Visa Backlog Report

Number of IV applicants whose cases are documentarily complete at NVC and ready for interview as of November 30 341,392
Number of documentarily complete IV applicants scheduled for December 2023 interview appointments 36,619
Number of eligible IV applicants still pending the scheduling of an interview after December 2023 appointment scheduling was completed 304,773

Note: In Calendar Year 2019 on average, 60,866 applicants were pending the scheduling of an interview each month.

This data is a snapshot in time provided for informational purposes in order to be as transparent as possible.  Given that these numbers change on a regular basis through our ongoing effort to reduce the backlog, they will be outdated soon after they are published each month.  

From the data above, roughly 9,146 more applicants whose cases were documentarily complete were scheduled for interviews, from 36,619 in December 2023 to 45,765 in January 2024.

What accounts for the decrease in the backlogs?

This data suggests that there will continue to be an overall decrease in the immigrant visa backlogs throughout the fiscal year, as the family sponsored categories continue to advance in the Visa Bulletin, and the operational capacity at U.S. Embassies and Consulates worldwide continues to improve to allow for visa interview scheduling.

We expect to see increases in visa scheduling for immigrant visa applicants, whose cases are documentarily complete, throughout the spring and summer months.

The National Visa Center is working in coordination with Consulates and Embassies to make this possible. Every month, Consulates and Embassies report their availability for visa interview scheduling to the National Visa Center. Once Consulates and Embassies notify the National Visa Center of available interview slots, the National Visa Center sends the applicant’s case to the post overseas and notifies the applicant that his or her case is ready for interview scheduling. Please note that if a Consulate or Embassy is facing high demand, such that there is insufficient availability for interview appointments, applicants will face longer wait times for interview scheduling. In such a case, the National Visa Center will hold onto the case until an interview slot becomes available.

However, the progression we are seeing thus far, indicates promising efforts by the Department of State and the National Visa Center to tackle the backlog. In previous months, we saw virtually no movement due to the high demand for visa interview appointments, and limited personnel and resources at U.S. Consulates and Embassies to meet such demand. The tide is now turning in favor of applicants whose cases are documentarily complete and ready for interview scheduling.

That is because most Consulates and Embassies have resumed routine visa operations, and staffing and local country conditions have significantly improved since the height of the Coronavirus pandemic, making these improvements possible.

Those who are facing severe medical emergencies, have urgent humanitarian needs, are facing severe financial loss, or have other compelling circumstances, should consult with an attorney to determine whether filing an expedite request could provide relief. Depending on the Consulate and your individual circumstances, an expedite request may or may not be advised.

If your case has been pending for more than 2 years without interview scheduling, you may also consult with an attorney to discuss the possibility of filing a mandamus lawsuit in federal court compelling the Consulate to take action on your application.

Contact Us. We hope you found this information helpful. If you would like to schedule a consultation, please text 619-569-1768 or call 619-819-9204.

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