NVC launches electronic processing

The National Visa Center is the clearinghouse for Consular Processed Immigrant Visa petitions. The NVC’s purpose is to collect the I-140 approval notice and other biographical information and relay these items to the Consulate of choice. The NVC also collects the NVC fee, which is presently $720 per applicant.

Last year, the NVC rolled out an on-line electronic payment system. MU has used this system. Our experience is that it has been a very efficient system. We like the speed and accuracy of the system.

Now the NVC is launching their on-line documentation and communication system. This program uses e-mail for communication and submission of all forms and documents to the NVC using the Portable Document Format (PDF).

Applicants who are applying for a visa at the U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan are required to process electronically.

Applicants who are applying for a visa at the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico in the following visa categories are required to process electronically if the first three letters of their NVC Case Number are MEP:

CR1 Conditional Spouse of United States Citizen
CR2 Conditional Child of United States Citizen
IR1 Spouse of United States Citizen
IR2 Child of United States Citizen

The option to participate is initially limited to visa applicants who are applying for a visa at the U.S. Embassies in Guangzhou, China and Montreal, Canada.

If the pilot program is successful, it is expected that the program will expand to other Consulates and Embassies.