How Long Does It Take For NVC To Schedule An Interview In September 2024?

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In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick discusses the process of applying for a green card via “consular processing” for individuals residing outside of the United States.  Additionally, in this video you will learn how long it is taking for an immigrant visa interview to be scheduled as of September 2024.

Please note that the green card application process will differ for individuals applying from inside the United States (this process is known as Adjustment of Status).

For the purposes of this video, we will focus solely on consular processing for applicants applying for their green card from outside the United States via a U.S. Consulate or Embassy overseas.

Steps Involved in Applying for a Green Card via Consular Processing

There are multiple steps involved when applying for a green card visa consular processing. To understand this process, here is an overview of what lies ahead:

Step 1: The first step to begin consular processing is for your qualifying relative to petition for your visa by submitting Form I-130 Petition for Alien Relative with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Step 2: After submitting the immigrant petition, it takes USCIS several months to approve the petition. The time it takes for this petition to be approved depends on several factors including the workload of the service center processing your petition and current USCIS backlogs.

Step 3: Once your petition is approved by USCIS, you must check the Department of State’s Visa Bulletin to see whether a green card is available for you based on your priority date as listed on your I-130, I-140, or I-360 approval notice. For PERM applications, the priority date is the date when the PERM was filed with the Department of Labor. Please note that immediate relatives of U.S. Citizens have a green card immediately available, and they do not need to wait in line. However, other green card applicants are subject to numerical quotas.

Step 4: Once your priority date is current on the Visa Bulletin, and a green card is available, USCIS will forward your petition to the National Visa Center (NVC) for further processing. It takes approximately 90 days for the NVC to receive your case from USCIS. The NVC is an intermediary between USCIS and the Department of State, responsible for preparing your application to be sent to the U.S. Consulate or Embassy abroad where you will be interviewed at the end of your application process.

Step 5: Once your case has reached the National Visa Center (NVC), within 45 days you will receive a notice called a “Welcome Letter,” containing further instructions to make payment for your visa fees and submit further civil documentation to complete your visa application. The Welcome Letter will contain a Case Number and Invoice ID which you will need to submit the necessary payment and documentation.

Step 6: After you have made payment for your visa fee and submitted all required civil documentation, your case will go through a review process lasting 1-4 months. When the NVC’s review process is complete, you will receive a notice that your case is “documentarily complete,” meaning that your case is ready for interview scheduling. Once the U.S. Embassy or Consulate has an available interview appointment, the NVC will forward your case file to the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate near you to prepare your case for the in-person visa interview.

Step 7: The Consulate will notify you once your in-person interview has been scheduled. The interview appointment notice will contain further instructions to complete a medical examination with an approved doctor, which you will take with you to your interview, along with other supporting documentation for your case.

Step 8: After attending your visa interview, the Consular officer will decide your case. If your application is approved, you will receive an immigrant visa allowing you to travel to the United States, along with a sealed envelope containing documentation that you must present to a U.S. Customs official at the port of entry. Visa holders are prohibited from opening the envelope.

Step 9: You must travel to the United States during the validity period of your immigrant visa. After you have been admitted to the United States, USCIS will mail your green card to your U.S. address. You will also receive your Social Security Number from the Social Security Administration by mail.

NVC Consular Processing Timeline

How long do you have to wait until the NVC sends your case to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate for interview scheduling?

The time you will need to wait for interview scheduling depends on several different factors including the volume of applications currently waiting for visa interviews at your Embassy or Consulate, local country conditions, staff shortages, and availability of resources to manage current workloads.

According to the NVC’s latest immigrant visa backlog report, there are more than 400,000 immigrant visa applicants with cases that are documentarily complete still waiting for interview scheduling as of August 2024.

Generally, if your priority date is current, your case has been found to be documentarily complete in 2024, and you are not dealing with a high traffic Consulate or Embassy (e.g. India, Philippines, Pakistan, etc.), you can expect for your visa interview to be scheduled within 6 months.

Applicants with current priority dates are encouraged to follow up with the National Visa Center (NVC) regularly to ensure their cases are documentarily complete. Please be aware that if your priority date is not current, your case will not be scheduled for a visa interview because no visa is available for you.

Those with U.S. Citizen petitioners facing compelling hardships such as urgent medical need, may wish to speak to an attorney to discuss the possibility of applying for expedited processing or other relief.

Warning Against Visa Interview Rescheduling

 Once your visa interview has been scheduled at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate, you should not reschedule your visa interview. Doing so will likely prolong your application process and lead to serious delays.

How can I contact the NVC about my case?

You can contact the National Visa Center using their online public inquiry form. If an attorney is assisting you with your case, they may also email the NVC. No telephonic assistance is currently available.

Important: One-Year NVC Contact Rule

By law, the National Visa Center can terminate the application of any alien who fails to apply for an immigrant visa within one year of notice of visa availability.

Therefore, if you do not respond to notices from the NVC within one year, you risk termination of your petition under the law and can lose the benefits of your petition, such as your priority date. To avoid this, check on the status of your case several times per year by using the NVC online public inquiry form.

Looking Ahead to the New Fiscal Year

Now that we are approaching the start of the new fiscal year which begins in October, the Department of State will begin allocating family-sponsored and employment-based visa numbers for 2025. This means that many priority dates for family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories will become current at the start of the fiscal year.

In turn this will lead to more green cards becoming available, and more Embassies and Consulates scheduling immigrant visa interviews worldwide.

To find out more about the operational capacity of your U.S. Embassy or Consulate, please visit their website and click on “immigrant” or “nonimmigrant” visa on the navigational tab.

Remember that you can contact the National Visa Center to ensure your case is documentarily qualified and inquire on its transfer to the Consular post abroad. If you believe that you are eligible for expedited processing of your case and/or emergency visa processing, we invite you to contact our office to evaluate your case and determine eligibility.

Contact Us. If you would like to schedule a consultation, please text 619-569-1768 or call 619-819-9204.

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