What is immigration priority date?
Priority date is the date on which an application was filed with the immigration authorities. It is used by the Department of State (DOS) to determine an individual's place in line in the visa queue where there are a limited number of immigrant visas available in a given year.
What is priority date in NVC?
The date your petition was filed is called your priority date. Priority dates are posted monthly on the Visa Bulletin, which provides up-to-date priority dates for cases NVC is processing.
Is priority date same as filing date?
These two terms are often used interchangeably. This can be misleading because they do not always refer to the same date. A filing date is the date you file your application (for trade marks, patents or designs). The priority date is the date your legal right over such trade mark, patent or design commences.
What determines your priority date?
Every prospective immigrant has his or her own priority date, which establishes the person's place in line for a U.S. immigrant visa. It comes from either: the date that USCIS first received and accepted for processing the Form I-130 petition filed by your family petitioner.
How long does it take for the NVC to schedule an interview 2022?
How long does it take to get an appointment? Although NVC strives to schedule appointments within three months of NVC's acceptance of all requested documentation, this timeframe is subject to the operating status and capacity of the consular section.
How long does it take for NVC to send case to Embassy 2022?
Your petition is awaiting an interview appointment. At this time, no further action is required. We appreciate your patience. After the NVC sends you this confirmation, then you can expect to wait between 2-6 months for the NVC to schedule you an interview at the U.S. consulate in your home country.
Will USCIS speed up 2022?
USCIS Extends Premium-Processing to Certain Pending Immigrant Petitions. On May 24, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an expansion of premium processing service to two additional categories of Form I-140 immigrant petitions.
How long does it take for NVC to send case to embassy?
After you have submitted all of your required documentation to the National Visa Center, paid the visa fees, and uploaded all of the necessary documents to your Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) portal, it can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months for the National Visa Center to review your documentation and ...
How long to get green card after priority date is current?
around six monthsAfter your priority date is current, you can submit your I-485, which will take around six months to process.
How do I know if USCIS approved my case?
With your receipt number, you can check the status of your case on www. uscis.gov and also register on our Web site for automatic case status updates while we process your case.
How do I know if my visa is approved?
Check the Status of a Visa Application For nonimmigrant visas, call 1-603-334-0888. Or use the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC).
What happens after priority date becomes current?
Generally, it is cause for celebration when these individuals' priority dates become current, as then are eligible to apply for adjustment of status. When the Final Action Date becomes current, the individual should receive permanent residence.
How long does it take after priority date becomes current?
You can find your priority date on the I-797 form mailed by USCIS approving your I-130 petition. Current: In the context of the visa bulletin, “current” means no backlog and no wait time for a green card. A particular priority date becomes “current” once it reaches the front of the line and a green card is available.
What do I do if my priority date is passed?
In general, when the priority date has already passed, it means that your case is under review by the immigration authorities. So, an immigrant visa number may already be available to continue your process.
What is the next step after priority date is current?
Only when your priority date becomes "current" can you take the next step: either apply for adjustment of status if you are already in the United States in legal status or otherwise eligible to use the adjustment of status procedure, or apply for an immigrant visa at an U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your home country.
How long does NVC review additional documents 2022?
It frequently takes the NVC at least two months to review one's documents.
What is a priority date?
A priority date is the date at which a petitioner or potential immigrant to the United States has indicated their interest in obtaining a visa to the USCIS. The date is assigned once the USCIS approves of the immigration petition. Priority dates act as a queuing system for applicants due to the sheer amount the U.S. receives each year.
What is the purpose of the visa bulletin?
The State Department and USCIS have worked together to create a system in which applicants awaiting further notice of their visa status can adjust their expectations for when they will be getting their visas. Every month, a Visa Bulletin is released indicating what priority dates are eligible to receive visas. In order to understand the bulletin, here are some guides:
Do priority dates move forward?
In certain circumstances, priority dates may shift backwards if the case load was larger than expected but in most times, priority dates move forward.
What is the priority date for a visa?
What does the priority date mean for immigration. The day you apply for a residence card is what is known as the immigration priority date. In other words, is the way to get an american resident visa. It is a very important date because it indicates when the immigrant can emigrate to the United States. If you or a family member wishes ...
What does it mean when you see a date after your priority date?
There you will see a date (month, day and year). If you see a date after your priority date, it means your time has come. Then you can apply for an immigrant visa for the respective category. You must wait to be notified by the National Visa Center (NVC).
How do I verify my priority date?
To track the priority dates that are becoming current, you should check the Visa Bulletin published monthly by the United States Department of State. The Visa Bulletin is available online and there is a list of visa deadlines for each of the categories.
What is it called when there are no visas available?
Sometimes the cut-off dates of the Visa Bulletin give a sort of leap back. This is called retrocession and it means that at that time there are no immigrant visas available for a certain category. Even for a whole country in a certain category. This usually happens at the end of the fiscal year.
Why is priority date important?
The priority date is very important for both groups, as it will be the date when they will have an immigrant visa number available.
What does the letter C mean in a visa?
When the Visa Bulletin displays the letter “C” or “current” in the category that corresponds to you and in your respective country , it means that there are numbers of visas available in that category.
Can a foreigner get a visa number immediately?
This means that a foreigner to whom the USCIS has approved a visa petition may not have a visa number available immediately at the State Department.
What does it mean when your priority date arrives?
When your priority date arrives, it’s known as being current; that means the people with that date are now eligible for visas or green cards. You can check the Visa Bulletin that the U.S. State Department publishes monthly to find out which priority dates are becoming current.
What is a Priority Date?
A priority date is a green card applicant’s place in line while their case is being processed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS. If you recently applied for a green card or adjustment of status, you can find your priority date on Form I-797, Notice of Action.
What is it called when a visa is retrograded?
When this happens, it’s called visa retrogression ; it happens when more people apply for a visa in that category than there are visas available for that month.
How to check progress of priority date?
It is possible to check the progress of your priority date. Use the Visa Bulletin to watch for your date to approach. If the Visa Bulletin shows the letter C or the word current under your application category and your country of citizenship (if applicable), it means there are visas available under that category. You should expect to receive correspondence from the National Visa Center soon – or if you’re adjusting your status, you should prepare and submit your green card application.
What does the letter C mean on a visa?
The Visa Bulletin chart indicates a letter C or the word current rather than a specific cutoff date, which means that your preference category and country of chargeability (usually your birth country, but not always) is current. That means you can file Form I-485 regardless of the priority date.
Why are visa cutoff dates broken down?
Some categories are also broken down by country – that’s because there are per-country limits on some visas, and the demand from those countries may be especially high.
How long does it take to get a green card?
If your application falls into a family-sponsored category, the wait to apply for a green card can range from a few years to over twenty years. Family-sponsored immigrant visas have a quota that ranges between 226,000 and 480,000, depending on calculations based on the prior year’s family-based immigration statistics.
What is priority date?
The priority date is the date upon which either the U.S. Department of Labor received the labor certification application or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received the completed Form I-130 visa petition or (in the case of self-petitioners) Form I-140.
Who Must Be Put on a Waiting List by "Priority Date"?
Not everyone faces numerical limits or a wait; for example, green card applicants in the immediate relative category receive unlimited numbers of visas annually. And sometimes demand for visas is low enough that even in other categories, no waiting list develops.
What does "current" mean on a visa?
If the Visa Bulletin shows "C" or "current" under your application category and your country of citizenship, it means that there are visas available under the said category for your country and you should either expect to see correspondence from the National Visa Center (NVC) soon or should, if you're adjusting status, prepare and submit your green card application.
Do you have to wait until your number comes up on a waiting list for a green card?
Basically, that means you must wait until your number comes up on a waiting list, owing to the fact that numerous immigrants are in line ahead of you in a green card category that's subject to annual limits. Here, we'll discuss how that priority date is created and what it means for your case.
Do you have to have a green card to become a permanent resident?
Both lead to U.S. permanent residence (a green card), though in the latter case, you do not become a permanent resident until you actually use your immigrant visa to enter the United States.
Do you have to wait for priority date to apply for a green card?
Certain categories of green card applicants must, after their initial visa petition is approved, wait for their priority date to become current before continuing on with their application for a green card.
Step 2: Begin National Visa Center (NVC) Processing
Answers to many common questions can be found using our self-service tools. Please log into https://ceac.state.gov for your most current case status and for a list of any documents you are required to submit.
Important Announcement
Answers to many common questions can be found using our self-service tools. Please log into https://ceac.state.gov for your most current case status and for a list of any documents you are required to submit.
