Tips for Working with the National Visa Center

As many of you may have experienced, the National Visa Center, or “NVC” is the mysterious government agency that demands all kinds of documents before setting up your visa interview at an U.S. consulate or embassy abroad. The NVC is part of the Department of State, the government department in charge of all visa issuance (from short term “non-immigrant” visas to immigrant visas that grant lawful permanent resident status upon entry). To their credit, the NVC has been improving their systems to make it easier to navigate the many steps that proceed an immigrant visa interview. Their latest tips and information are below:

• Do not send original documents to the NVC. Do bring original civil document to your visa interview.
• Visit nvc.state.gov/inaterview after receiving your interview notice to review the embassy specific instructions for scheduling a medical exam, a required step before the interview.
• I-864 affidavit of support tip sheets are online at nvc.state.gov/aos and uscis.gov
• In cases where a I-601A waiver is required (waiver of the 3/10 year ground of inadmissibility), you can continue to submit the required documentation to the NVC while you await a final decision on the waiver. This will result in a faster interview date, presuming your waiver is granted.
• For USCIS to accept your I-601A waiver application, you must submit proof that you have paid your Immigrant Visa fee. Applicants who pay online can retrieve a receipt at ceac.state.gov
• I-601A applicants do not need to tell NVC when a waiver is approved or denied; USCIS will notify NVC of its decision and then NVC will proceed with scheduling the immigrant interview if the wavier was approved.
• Frequently asked questions are posted in both English and Spanish at nvc.state.gov (scroll to the bottom of the page) and nvc.state.gov/espanol