Immigrant Visa Processing - The National Visa Center (NVC)

Translation - Español (.pdf)

The National Visa Center (NVC) collects immigrant visa application forms, Affidavit of Support forms, and fee payments for US Embassies and US Consulates.

Fee Collection

At the appropriate time, the NVC will send the Affidavit of Support fee invoice to the petitioner and the Immigrant Visa Processing fee invoice to the applicant or the applicant's designated agent. If an attorney is representing the applicant, the attorney will receive both invoices.

[Note – if adjusting status: If you will be applying for your immigrant visa in the United States by adjusting your status with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), you should contact the National Visa Center before taking further action or making payments.]

To submit payment, there are two methods:

Next Steps- After you have paid your fees, follow the detailed instructions in the “Document Collection” section below.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver -
On January 2nd, 2013, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that certain immediate relatives of U.S. citizens present in the United States, who are in the process of seeking immigrant visas with the Department of State to become lawful U.S. permanent residents, may apply for provisional waivers before departing the U.S. to attend their immigrant visa interviews. Refer to the News Release and Instructions on the USCIS Website for eligibility information and instructions. Learn More. USCIS will begin accepting provisional unlawful presence waiver, Form I-601A applications on March 4th, 2013. Immigrant visa applicants with an immigrant visa interview appointment letter from the National Visa Center dated before January 3rd, 2013 are not eligible to file an I-601A.

Important Information – For I-601A Applicants:

  • You must submit proof of payment of your immigrant visa (IV) application fee with your provisional waiver, Form 1-601A application to USCIS. If you do not have an IV application fee receipt already, learn how to obtain a fee receipt see our Provisional Waiver-NVC FAQs.
  • USCIS will notify the NVC that you have applied for a provisional unlawful presence waiver. For more information about the NVC process, review our NVC FAQs.

Document Collection

If the NVC has requested applicant documents or Affidavit of Support documents, click on the appropriate link below:

Notice: Do not submit documents unless they were requested by the NVC.

Interview Preparation

When the NVC notifies the applicant that an interview has been scheduled, click on the link below to begin preparing for the interview:

Notice: You should not begin interview preparation without notification from the NVC. The interview preparation instructions are for all U.S. Embassies and Consulates General that issue immigrant visas.