What's New?

NVC Electronic Processing Program

Immigration processing goes electronic! Shorten your immigrant visa processing time dramatically. The immigrant visa petition Electronic Processing Program can assist in shortening your visa petition wait time.

What is the NVC Pilot Program?
Who is eligible to participate?
What is required to participate?
Where can I find more information?
What about K visas?

NVC Pilot Program Introduction

The National Visa Center (NVC) has moved into the internet age! The NVC has initiated a pilot program to process visa petitions electronically, which can shorten your petition wait time dramatically! The Immigrant Visa Electronic Processing Program is a pilot project which uses electronic communication and documentation methods to simplify and accelerate the immigrant visa application process. This program uses e-mail for communication and submission of all forms and documents to the NVC using the Portable Document Format (PDF).

Under the Electronic Processing Program all forms will be downloaded, completed, signed (if required), scanned, saved as PDF files, and e-mailed to the NVC. Required civil documents and supporting documents must be converted to PDF files by scanning and e-mailed to the NVC.

After the NVC has completed processing the applicant's petition, the applicant will need to present the original physical documents to the US Embassy/Consulate at the time of the applicant's visa interview. Failure to do so may cause a delay or denial of the visa being sought.

Presumably you have already received a letter from the NVC notifying you that you may be eligible to participate.

 

Who is eligible to participate?

The electronic processing option is available only for the U.S. Consulate Guangzhou, China and currently only available to immediate relatives of U.S. citizens over the age of 21 years (visa categories IR-1, IR-2, CR-1, CR-2, and IR-5).

 

What is required to participate?

If eligible to participate in Electronic Processing the applicant (or designated agent) and the petitioner must have:

• Regular access to e-mail internet service
• Ability to scan required documents into PDF files

All visa applicants, their designated agent (if applicable), and their petitioner will need to follow the processing requirements in order to successfully complete Electronic Processing of the immigrant visa petition.

Once you opt into the electronic processing system, you will receive notification that your case number has been changed. You will still be processing in Guangzhou, but the first 3 letters of your case number will start with GZO followed by a new set of 10 numbers. The GZO prefix identifies the case is being processed electronically.

 

Where can I find more information?

For more general information regarding this program, please go to the NVC Immigrant Visa Electronic Processing website.

If you have specific questions regarding this program, please contact NVC via email at NVCInquiry@state.gov. Other ways to contact NVC can be found here.

You can also address your questions to the Guangzhou Immigrant Visa Inquiries here.

If you are eligible to participate in the electronic processing program, you can find more information regarding how to process your petition electronically here.

 

What about K visas?

The NVC electronic processing project for K visa (fiancée/spouse non-immigrant visa), has different procedures. For these cases, although the petitions are loaded electronically, the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou still contacts visa beneficiaries to provide more documents prior to interview scheduling.    

If you are a K visa applicant and you have opted in for electronic processing, you will still have to wait for paper instructions via mail from the Consulate.