TIPS FOR IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICANTS - State

1 RECEIVING APPROVED CASES FROM uscis Please allow up to six weeks after receipt of an I-797 from Citizenship and Immigration Services ( uscis ) before contacting NVC about your IMMIGRANT visa application. This ensures uscis has had enough time to mail the approved petition and NVC has entered it into our database. This is the first point that NVC is aware of a case and able to provide details. affidavit of support FORMS law requires potential immigrants in family-based cases to show that they have financial support in the United states . This is done with an affidavit of support submitted by the petitioner. The affidavit of support , which is also called Form I-864, is a legal contract between the petitioner and the government. On an affidavit of support form, petitioners must prove that they have the ability to financially support the visa applicant(s). Petitioners complete and submit this form to NVC with supporting evidence of their income, such as a federal IRS tax transcript, copies of Forms W-2, and proof of assets.

2 Petitioners must meet a minimum income level. Petitioners who cannot meet this level, which is called the Federal Poverty Guideline, have two choices: 1) find a joint sponsor who will agree to also financially support the visa applicant, or 2) use the income of a household member to meet the Poverty Guideline. There are four types of Forms I-864; they are all available on A chart of who should use each type of form is online at (English) and (Spanish) along with frequently asked questions about the affidavit of support . SCHEDULING VISA INTERVIEWS NVC schedules interviews on a monthly basis. We receive each embassy s list of available appointment dates and times, and we fill them in the order that cases became documentarily qualified, as long as there is an available visa number. (There is a maximum number of visas the can approve each year in some visa categories, so there may be a delay between complet-ing your application and being eligible for an interview if you are in one of these categories.

3 Since we work only one month at a time, we cannot predict when a case will be scheduled. We suggest waiting 90 days from notice that a case is documentarily qualified before calling about the interview. I-601A PROVISIONAL WAIVERS NVC can continue to collect and review documents for a case during the time an I-601A Application for a Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver is being adjudicated by uscis . However, documentarily qualified cases will not be scheduled for a visa interview until uscis adjudicates the provisional waiver application. NVC will hold a case if any applicant on the case has an I-601A being adjudicated at uscis . uscis requires I-601A APPLICANTS to include proof that their IMMIGRANT Visa fee has been paid. APPLICANTS who paid online should print a receipt from If they are unable to print a receipt, they can e-mail This address is only for generating IV fee receipts. NVC does not respond to general inquiries in this mailbox. You do not need to tell NVC when a waiver is approved or denied; uscis will notify NVC of its decision and NVC will take appropriate action.

4 TIPS FOR IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICANTS TIPS AND ADVICE Visit NVC s website to review our Frequently Asked Questions at (English) or (Spanish). Do not send original civil documents to NVC. Submit photocopies of items such as birth certificates. However, you must bring all original civil documents to the interview for the consular officer to review even if you submitted photocopies to NVC. If submitting your application package by mail, please send financial and supporting documents to NVC in one envelope, and include the NVC-provided document cover sheet. Go online to (English) or (Spanish) after receiving an interview appointment to review embassy-specific instructions for scheduling a medical exam and registering for a courier service. PRIOR to all visa interviews, APPLICANTS must have completed a medical exam with an Embassy-approved physician in the country of interview. affidavit of support Tip Sheets are online at and Submit all pages of forms even if they are blank.

5 NVC provides an I-864 Assessment Letter when cases are scheduled for an interview appointment. This letter provides suggestions for how you can correct your documents prior to interview with a consular officer. If you are processing electronically (submitting documents by e-mail), do NOT also send a photocopy of these documents via mail. This can delay review of your case. A list of embassies accepting electronic processing is available online at WHAT CAN T NVC DO? NVC researches cases and communicates with overseas embassies and uscis when necessary. As the middle man, NVC cannot on its own: Approve an expedite or transfer request Reinstate a case Explain the reasons for a visa denial In the above instances, NVC forwards your request to a consular officer overseas and waits for their decision. HOW DO I GET IN TOUCH WITH NVC? You can call NVC s Customer Assistance Center at 1-603-334-0700. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 7:00 to midnight (Eastern Time).

6 You can also contact us online using our public inquiry form at You ll receive a response via e-mail. Whenever you contact us, please be ready to provide your case number, the name of the petitioner, and the name and date of birth of the visa applicant. Updated November 2016