by Chris Musillo

The Consular Process route to a green card consists of three steps: (1) Filing and approval of the I-140; (2) National Visa Center; and (3) Consular interview. The middle stage, the NVC stage, consist of collection of fees for the processing of the Beneficiary and his or her family (often called “Fee Bills”) and the collection of a variety of civil documentation, such as birth, marriage, and police certificates. In a break from the past, the NVC will now only collect photocopies of these civil documents. The original civil documents should be brought to the Consular Interview in the home country. Applicants at designated electronic processing posts will continue to submit their documents via email. This new policy is effective as of November 12, 2014.

When the Consular Interview is scheduled, NVC will instruct applicants to bring their original documents to the interview for evaluation and final case processing. Beneficiaries should note that Original Affidavit of Support forms will still be submitted to NVC for initial evaluation. Affidavits of support are typically not used in employment-based immigration cases. Affidavits of support are usually only used in family-based immigration.

By making this change, NVC hopes that it will maintain the integrity of the immigrant visa process, reduce customer wait times, and improve the customer experience overall.

Read the Musillo Unkenholt Healthcare and Immigration Law Blog at www.musillo.com or www.ilw.com. You can also visit us on Facebook and follow us onTwitter.