Due to a recent increase in immigrant visa petitions approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the National Visa Center (NVC) is experiencing a rather significant backlog. The NVC has issued notices to applicants advising that it is experiencing increased review times for documents received and thus expects delays of at least sixty days from the date NVC receives the documents. Applicants will be notified by the NVC when the documents have been reviewed.
The NVC, located in Portsmouth, NH, conducts pre-processing of immigrant visa petitions that have been approved and forwarded by USCIS. Once the priority date of a visa petition becomes current, the NVC notifies the applicant and requests the relevant fees and supporting documentation. If a priority date is not current, the NVC will hold the petition until it becomes current. The recent backlog is no doubt frustrating to many, especially in light of the fact that many immigrant petitions sit for years waiting for visa availability. NVC reports that it is working diligently to reduce processing times.