State Department Home page search archive faq feedback index Policy Dept. Outreach Regions The Secretary of State Services US Dept. of State -- Services

U.S. Department of State
National Visa Center
Portsmouth, NH

GENERAL INFORMATION

In April of 1994 the Department of State opened a permanent Immigrant Visa processing facility at the National Visa Center (NVC) in Portsmouth, NH. NVC processes all approved immigrant visa petitions after they are received from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and retains them until the cases are ready for adjudication by a consular officer abroad. Petitions may remain at NVC for several weeks or for many years depending on the visa category and country of birth of the visa applicant. When an applicant's case is about to become current (a visa number is likely to be available within the year) the petition is forwarded to the appropriate U.S. embassy or consulate overseas. If an applicant is adjusting status in the U.S. the case will be forwarded to the appropriate INS office upon request by that office.

NVC receives thousands of telephone and written inquiries from applicants, congressional offices, U.S. embassies and consulates, INS offices and the White House. An automated recorded message system can answer many of these inquiries 24 hours a day, seven days a week (603 334-0700). Status of case information can only be accessed by entering your NVC case number or INS receipt number on a touch-tone telephone. NVC only has information on petitions it has received. If our automated service does not recognize the INS file or receipt numbers you entered, most likely we have not yet received your petition.

Operators are available to respond to more difficult inquiries from 9:00AM to 4:45PM (EST) Monday through Thursday. NVC also holds a customer service feedback day so that the public can talk to operators about the information we provide. The telephone number and customer service dates are provided at the end of some of the messages.

Written inquiries, changes of address and requests to upgrade petitions due to naturalization of the petitioner should be sent to: The National Visa Center, 32 Rochester Avenue, Portsmouth NH, 03801-2909. Please note that NVC is not open to the public. Unfortunately, some people have traveled long distances to inquire about their case in person, only to discover that we are not able to meet with them.

FORMS

When an applicant's priority date is close to becoming current NVC will mail a packet of forms and information (Packet 3) to the beneficiary (applicant). If requested to do so we will send this Packet 3 to the applicant's lawyer or to the petitioner instead of the beneficiary. The exact contents of the Packet 3 will depend on where the applicant will be interviewed for a visa. For instance, the Packet 3 we send to people applying in China is different from the one we send to applicants in France. Packet 3 information that can currently be downloaded from this WEB site are listed below:

English Language Packet 3:

OF-169 Instructions for Immigrant Visa Applicants

OF-230 Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Part I Biographic Data

OF-230 Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Part II Sworn Statement (This form is not part of NVC Packet 3. The consular office will send it to the applicant. It is included here for your information.)

DSL-1083 Immigrant Visa Supplemental Information Sheet (Police Certificates)

Download I-864 Affidavit of Support Forms Package from INS

General Information on the Affidavit of Support (Form I-864)

Checklist for the Affidavit of Support (Form I-864)

Vaccination Requirements

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why don't you have my case at NVC yet?

When you complete a petition (I-130, I-140, etc.) for an immigrant visa you send it to the Immigration and Naturalization Service for approval. If the INS approves the petition they will send you a Notice of Approval (I-797) and then they will send the petition to NVC. Sometimes there is a delay between when you get the Notice of Receipt and the Notice of Approval from INS and also between when you get the Notice of Approval and when NVC receives the petition. After NVC receives the petition, it will send a letter to the principal applicant (your beneficiary) regarding the status of the case. We recommend that you wait at least three weeks after you get your Notice of Approval before calling NVC if you have not heard from the Center by that time. Please remember that unless instructed to do otherwise, we notify the beneficiary (the applicant) - NOT the petitioner - regarding the status of the case.

I am the beneficiary (applicant) and my case is at NVC. Now what happens?

This depends on whether or not your case is current. If your visa category is an immediate relative category (spouse, parent or child of a U.S. citizen) then your case is automatically current. If your visa category is one of the family preference or employment categories, there are legal limits on the numbers of visas that can be issued in each category and in most categories, the demand is higher than those limits. In these categories, waiting lists have been established based on your priority date, which is the date your sponsor filed your petition with the INS. Cutoff dates established by the Visa Office determine when your petition will be reached for processing. Your petition can only become current and thus ready to further processing when the cutoff date in your visa category has advanced up to your priority date.

If your case is about to become current we will send you, the beneficiary, a Packet 3 containing information and forms. You should complete all the necessary forms and follow the instructions to continue with the visa application process. Your sponsor (petitioner) should complete the Affidavit of Support (I-864) form, which will be sent directly to the petitioner by NVC.

If your case is not current we will send you a letter informing you that we have your file at NVC and will hold it until your case becomes current. We cannot predict when a case will become current. You should monitor the movement of the cutoff dates as announced by the Visa Office to learn when your priority date is reached. To hear the cutoff dates you may call the State Department Visa Information line at 202-663-1541 or refer to the Visa Bulletin.

I received my Packet 3. Now what do I do?

Procedures vary depending on the kind of visa and which embassy or consulate will be processing the case.

There are exceptions to the above procedure when NVC will give additional instructions to the applicants. Some examples are the processing for diversity visas and those that NVC schedules for visa appointments like those cases to be processed in Canada. Applicants should read carefully and follow the instructions in the Packet 3, which explain exactly what to do next.

I am in the United States and would like to adjust status. How do I do that?

If you live in the U.S. you may be eligible for adjustment of status as a permanent resident. When your case becomes current, NVC will send you a letter telling you that you may be eligible for adjustment of status and asking that you tell us if you will adjust or apply at a U.S. consular section abroad. If you write back to us that you will adjust status, we will note it on your case record and retain the file until an INS office requests it to process your adjustment application. If NVC does not get a reply to our letter after 30 days, we will send you a Packet 3 and send your case file to a consular office abroad for processing.

NVC is not involved in adjustment of status. You should contact the INS office nearest you for information, forms, and adjustment of status updates.

When I filed a petition for my relative I was a legal permanent resident (green card holder). I recently became a U.S. citizen. How can I upgrade the petition?

Please make a copy of your Naturalization Certificate. Send the copy - NOT the original - to the National Visa Center with a letter containing the beneficiary name and case number of the petition you want to upgrade. We will send the beneficiary any additional forms and information that may be required.

I moved. How do I give you my new address?

Write to us at The National Visa Center, 32 Rochester Avenue, Portsmouth NH 03801-2909, or fax it to 603-334-0759. When contacting us please be sure to always include your case number or your INS receipt number so that we may locate your case.

I have been waiting for a very long time for my relative to get an immigrant visa. Now there is a family emergency and I need my relative to immigrate soon to the U.S. Can NVC help me?

Unfortunately, if your relative's case is not current, there is nothing that NVC can do to expedite visa processing. Immigrant visa processing is governed by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, as amended, which controls visa categories, priority dates and the availability of visa numbers. Immigrant visa numbers are made available strictly in the order of priority dates. There is no provision within the law that would allow NVC to waive numerical limitation in any indivdual case.

My relative went for his interview for an immigrant visa (or lottery visa) at the U.S. Embassy, but was refused. Can NVC review this case?

No. NVC has no authority to review the (granting) or refusal of any immigrant or lottery visa case. If you want to have more information about the processing of an immigrant visa case that has already been sent to a U.S. consular section abroad or to request a review of a visa refusal, please contact the U.S. consular office where the visa case was processed.

DIVERSITY VISA LOTTERY

The Diversity Visa (DV) lottery is an annual lottery that is run by the U.S. Department of State. It offers up to 55,000 permanent resident visas each year to randomly selected applicants from eligible countries. The program is administered by the U.S. Department of State National Visa Center, located in Portsmouth, N.H. NVC sends out Packet 3 notification to selected registered applicants and schedules the visa appointments of those who submitted all the required documents. The Diversity lottery mail-in period is held every year, usually in October. NVC notifies registered applicants. Those who do not hear further from NVC should assume they didn't win. For more information about this program please visit the Consular Affairs site on the World Wide Web.

Please note: The Department of State has only one National Visa Center. Other organizations using similar names have no connection to the Department's National Visa Center (NVC) in Portsmouth, N.H. There is no fee charged by the Department of State or the National Visa Center for sending an entry to the lottery program. A diversity processing fee is only charged when a winning lottery entrant applies for the diversity visa. At the time of visa application at a U.S. Consular office, each applicant (the DV entrant and any accompanying family members) will be charged a DV processing fee, and immigrant visa fee. Both of these fees are not refundable if the visa is refused. If the visa is issued, a separate visa issuance fee is charged for each visa.

Visa Services