National Visa Center (NVC)

Primary tabs

The National Visa Center (NVC) is a visa processing center operated by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs.

After the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approves an immigrant visa petition, the USCIS then forwards the petition to the NVC. The NVC serves a clerical function in processing immigrant visas by collecting visa application fees and documentation and retains the visa petition until the case is ready for adjudication by a consular officer abroad. Petitions may remain at NVC for several months or for many years depending on the visa category and country of birth of the visa applicant.

[Last updated in April of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]