National Visa Center (NVC) EB-3 Guide: Fees, DS-260 & Steps After I-140

The National Visa Center (NVC) is a U.S. Department of State office that gets immigrant visa cases ready for the U.S. embassy or consulate. For EB-3 workers outside the United States, your case moves to the NVC after USCIS approves your employer’s Form I-140.

The NVC does not approve or deny your visa. It creates your case, collects your fees and documents, checks them, and sends your case to the embassy for an interview when a visa is available. If you already live in the U.S. and are adjusting status, you will not go through the NVC at all.

This guide explains each NVC step from the worker’s side: what you do, what the petitioner does, what it costs, how long you may wait, and how to avoid common delays.

The NVC at a Glance

Full name	National Visa Center (NVC)
Agency	U.S. Department of State
Who it’s for	EB-3 workers who get their green card through an embassy or consulate abroad (consular processing)
Comes after	USCIS approval of the employer’s I-140 petition
What it does	Creates your case, collects fees and documents, reviews them, schedules your interview when a visa is available
What it doesn’t do	Decide your visa. A consular officer at the embassy does that
Online system	CEAC (Consular Electronic Application Center)
Main fee	$345 immigrant visa fee per person (employment-based)
How to contact	Check CEAC and NVC Timeframes first, then the Public Inquiry Form
What comes next	Medical exam, embassy interview, USCIS Immigrant Fee, travel, green card

What Is the National Visa Center?

The National Visa Center is one central State Department office. It handles the paperwork for immigrant visa cases from all over the world before the embassies see them.

Think of the NVC as the step that gets your file ready. It makes sure every fee is paid and every required document is uploaded and readable. Only then does it pass your case to the embassy or consulate in your country.

NVC vs. USCIS vs. the Embassy

Three different offices handle your case at different times. It helps to know who does what.

Office	Part of	What it does in your EB-3 case
USCIS	Department of Homeland Security	Approves the petitioner’s I-140 petition
NVC	Department of State	Prepares your case: fees, DS-260, documents
Embassy or consulate	Department of State	Interviews you and decides on your visa

The NVC is not a court and not a decision maker. If your documents are complete, the NVC moves your case forward. If something is missing, the NVC tells you what to fix.

Do All EB-3 Workers Go Through the NVC?

No. The NVC only handles consular processing, which means getting your immigrant visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. Most eb3.work applicants live outside the U.S., so most go through the NVC.

Workers already in the U.S. in a lawful status may be able to file Form I-485 to adjust status instead. In that case, USCIS handles the green card step and the NVC is not involved. To compare the two paths, see our guide to consular processing.

Where the NVC Fits in the EB-3 Process

The NVC comes near the end of the EB-3 process. Here is the full path for a worker applying from abroad:

1. Prevailing wage. Your employer requests a prevailing wage from the Department of Labor (Form ETA-9141).
2. Recruitment. Your employer tests the U.S. job market.
3. PERM labor certification. Your employer files Form ETA-9089 with the Department of Labor.
4. I-140 approved. Your employer files Form I-140 with USCIS, and USCIS approves it.
5. NVC case created. You pay fees, complete the DS-260 and upload documents.
6. Waiting. You wait for your priority date to be current and for an interview slot.
7. Interview. A consular officer interviews you at the embassy or consulate.
8. Travel. You pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee, travel and enter the U.S.
9. Green card. USCIS mails your green card to your U.S. address.

Steps 5 and 6 are the NVC stage. For a full walkthrough of every step, see the EB-3 visa process.

Step 1: Your NVC Case Is Created

After USCIS approves the I-140, it sends the petition to the NVC. The NVC then creates your immigrant visa case.

When your case is created, the NVC sends a Welcome Letter (also called a notice of immigrant visa case creation). It includes two numbers you will use for the rest of the process:

• NVC case number. Three letters and a set of numbers. The letters usually show which embassy or consulate will handle your case.
• Invoice ID number. A separate number you use with your case number to log in to CEAC.

Keep both numbers somewhere safe. You need them to pay fees, complete forms and check your case status.

If Your Priority Date Isn’t Current Yet

Your priority date is your place in line for a green card. For an EB-3 visa, it’s usually the date your employer filed the PERM application.

EB-3 “Other Workers” green cards are limited each year, so most workers wait. The NVC can create your case long before a visa is available. In that case, your file waits at the NVC until your priority date gets close.

The State Department says plainly that the NVC “cannot predict when a visa will be available.” You can’t speed up this wait by contacting the NVC. To follow your place in line, read our guides on the priority date and how to read the visa bulletin.

Who Receives the NVC Letters?

The NVC sends case messages to the people listed on the case, which can include you, your employer (the petitioner) and an agent or attorney.

In eb3.work’s program, our team coordinates with the petitioner’s attorney and with you, the beneficiary, to prepare and file the DS-260 with the National Visa Center. The attorney represents only the petitioner, who is your employer. If you haven’t seen your Welcome Letter, request a copy from the eb3.work team or your employer.

Tip: Keep your email address, phone number and home address up to date. Most NVC messages arrive by email and in the CEAC message center.

Step 2: Log In to CEAC and Pay the NVC Fees

What Is CEAC?

CEAC stands for Consular Electronic Application Center. It’s the State Department’s official website for immigrant visa cases. This is where people go when they search for “national visa center login.”

In CEAC, you can:

• Pay your fees
• Complete the DS-260
• Upload civil documents
• Check your case status
• Read messages from the NVC

To log in, go to ceac.state.gov, choose the immigrant visa option and enter your NVC case number and invoice ID.

Only use the official .gov website. Fake websites and “agents” sometimes copy the NVC’s look to collect money or personal information.

NVC Fees for EB-3 Cases

Fee	Amount	Who pays it	When
Immigrant visa application fee (employment-based)	$345 per person	Each immigrating family member pays separately	In CEAC, before the DS-260 opens
Affidavit of Support review fee	Only if an I-864 is required	Rare for EB-3 visa (see Step 4)	In CEAC
USCIS Immigrant Fee	$235 per person	Paid to USCIS, not the NVC	After the visa is issued, before you travel
Medical exam	Varies by country	Paid to the panel physician	Before the interview

Example: A worker coming with a spouse and two children pays 4 × $345 = $1,380 in immigrant visa fees. Later they pay 4 × $235 = $940 in USCIS Immigrant Fees. Medical exams, police certificates, translations and travel to the interview are extra.

Fees take time to process. Your fee status in CEAC must show as paid before you can move to the next step.

Who Pays the NVC Fees?

Under Department of Labor rules, the petitioner must pay the costs of the PERM labor certification (20 CFR 656.12). The NVC-stage fees are not PERM costs.

In eb3.work’s program, the beneficiary pays the NVC-stage fees: the $345 immigrant visa fee and the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee. For a full list of costs, see our EB-3 visa cost breakdown and services page.

Scam warning: You pay NVC fees through CEAC to the U.S. government. Never pay a visa fee to a person, a gift card or a private bank account.

Step 3: Complete the DS-260

The DS-260 is the online immigrant visa application. Each person who is immigrating fills out their own DS-260 in CEAC: you, your spouse and each child coming with you.

The DS-260 covers your personal details, addresses, work history, family information and background. Answers must be in English. After you submit it, print the confirmation page and bring it to your interview.

The worker (the beneficiary) completes the DS-260, not the petitioner. In eb3.work’s program, our team coordinates with you and the employer’s attorney to prepare and file it.

For fees, access, the confirmation page and how to fix mistakes, read our full DS-260 guide. For help with each question on the form, see our DS-260 step-by-step guide.

Step 4: Collect and Upload Your Documents

After the DS-260, you upload your civil documents in CEAC. The NVC reviews them to make sure they are complete and readable.

Civil Documents

Most EB-3 workers need:

• Passport (the photo and information page)
• Birth certificate
• Police certificates from your country and from other countries where you lived for a certain time
• Marriage certificate, if you are married
• Divorce or death certificates for any past marriages
• Court and prison records, if you were ever convicted of a crime
• Military records, if you served
• Passport-style photos

Documents not in English need a certified English translation. Requirements differ by country. Each country’s page on the State Department website lists which documents are available and where to get them.

Documents Tied to Your Job

Your EB-3 visa depends on a real job offer. The embassy may request a recent letter from your employer confirming that the job is still open, along with the job title and wage.

If the job no longer exists, the visa can’t be issued on that petition. Stay in contact with your employer during the wait.

Do You Need an Affidavit of Support (Form I-864)?

Usually not. This is where many online NVC guides are wrong for EB-3 workers, because they are written for family-based cases.

For employment-based cases, Form I-864 is required only when a relative filed the petition, or a relative owns 5% or more of the company that filed it (8 CFR 213a.2 and 213a.1). “Relative” here means a U.S. citizen or green card holder who is your spouse, parent, child or sibling. A sibling counts only if they are a U.S. citizen.

If none of your relatives filed the petition or own 5% or more of your employer, you don’t need an Affidavit of Support.

Family Members

Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can immigrate with you as derivatives. Each one needs:

• Their own DS-260
• Their own $345 fee
• Their own civil documents

Children close to 21 may “age out” during the wait. The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) may protect them. Use our EB-3 CSPA calculator for an estimate, and read more about dependents in the EB-3 process.

Common Document Mistakes

• Blurry or cut-off scans
• Names that don’t match your passport
• Missing certified translations
• Police certificates that expired while you waited
• Uploading the wrong document under the wrong label

Any of these can send your case back for corrections and add weeks or months.

Step 5: Documentarily Complete and Waiting for an Interview

What “Documentarily Complete” Means

Your case is documentarily complete (often called “documentarily qualified” or “DQ”) when the NVC confirms that you paid the required fees and submitted the required application and documents. The NVC sends you an email confirming it.

Write down this date. Interviews are scheduled in order, so it matters.

Being documentarily complete does not mean your interview is scheduled. It means the NVC has everything it needs.

Three Things Required Before an Interview

Before the NVC schedules your interview, three things must happen:

1. Your priority date is current in the visa bulletin.
2. Your case is documentarily complete.
3. The embassy has an open interview slot.

The State Department says embassies tell the NVC which dates are available, and the NVC “fills these appointments in a first-in, first-out manner.” Your interview letter goes to you, your employer and any agent or attorney on the case.

For EB-3 Other Workers, the priority date is usually the longest wait, often years. Being documentarily complete early doesn’t move you ahead of people with earlier priority dates.

How Long Does the NVC Take?

The NVC posts its current timeframes for case creation, document review and inquiry replies on its NVC Timeframes page. The page is updated regularly, so we don’t copy the numbers here.

For the full EB-3 visa timeline, including PERM, I-140 and the visa bulletin, see our EB-3 processing times page. It’s kept up to date.

Don’t Let Your Case Go Quiet: The One-Year Rule

The State Department says you must contact the NVC at least once a year until your case is documentarily complete. “If one year passes from the last date of contact with NVC, all submitted fees, forms and documents will expire.”

Logging in to your case in CEAC counts as contact and updates your contact date. Once your case is documentarily complete, you don’t need to contact the NVC to keep it active.

Separately, U.S. immigration law (INA 203(g)) allows the State Department to end a case if the beneficiary doesn’t apply within one year after being told a visa is available. Respond to every NVC message on time.

How to Contact the NVC

Before you contact the NVC, follow this order:

1. Check CEAC. Your case status and any messages are there.
2. Check NVC Timeframes. If the NVC is still working on cases older than yours, your case isn’t late yet.
3. Use the Public Inquiry Form. If you’re past the posted timeframe, send one written inquiry through the NVC’s Public Inquiry Form.

Tips for the Public Inquiry Form:

• Enter the main applicant’s name exactly as it appears on the passport.
• Use the date format the form requests (for example, 01/June/1990).
• Double-check your email address. Replies come by email.
• Send one inquiry and wait. The NVC answers in the order it receives them, and repeat inquiries don’t speed things up.

Once the NVC sends your case to the embassy or consulate, the NVC no longer handles it. Send questions to the embassy instead.

In eb3.work’s program, request updates from the eb3.work team first. We coordinate with the petitioner’s attorney and can often answer status questions without a separate NVC inquiry.

After the NVC: Your Interview and Green Card

Your Case Moves to the Embassy

When your interview is scheduled, the NVC sends your file to the embassy or consulate. Your interview letter gives the date, time and place.

Medical Exam

Before the interview, you get a medical exam from a panel physician approved by the embassy. You pay the doctor directly. The results go to the embassy. Bring your vaccination records.

The Interview

Bring your passport, your DS-260 confirmation page, your interview letter, original civil documents and any job letter the embassy requests. The consular officer reviews your case and decides.

There are three common outcomes:

• Approved. Your visa is printed in your passport.
• Refused. The officer explains the reason.
• Administrative processing (221(g)). The officer needs more documents or more time. The State Department says to wait at least 180 days before requesting a status update, unless it’s an emergency.

Travel and Your Green Card

After your visa is issued:

• Pay the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee online before you travel. USCIS won’t issue your green card until it’s paid.
• Travel before your visa expires. An immigrant visa is usually valid for up to six months, or less if your medical exam expires sooner.
• Enter the U.S. If a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer admits you, you become a lawful permanent resident on arrival. If family members are coming on your case, you must enter before them or with them.
• Receive your green card by mail at your U.S. address.
• Start work with the sponsoring petitioner.

Common NVC Problems and How to Avoid Them

• No Welcome Letter. Request it from the petitioner (your employer) or the eb3.work team, and check the NVC Timeframes page before sending an inquiry.
• Documents returned. Scan in color, show all four corners, and match the CEAC document label.
• Name mismatches. Use your name exactly as it appears in your passport on every form.
• Expired police certificates. If you waited a long time, check whether yours is still accepted before the interview.
• A child about to turn 21. Check CSPA early with our calculator.
• Case expired under the one-year rule. Log in to CEAC at least once a year until you’re documentarily complete.
• Job no longer available. Stay in contact with your employer. The job offer must still exist when you interview.
• Scammers posing as the NVC. Real NVC messages come from state.gov addresses. The NVC never requests that you pay a person.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to Start Your EB-3 Journey?

You only reach the NVC after a petitioner sponsors you and USCIS approves the I-140. If you’re just starting, learn how the EB-3 visa process works, then browse EB-3 jobs from employers sponsoring workers now.

Sources

• U.S. Department of State: What is the status of my immigrant visa case? (helpful hints for IV processing)
• U.S. Department of State: NVC Public Inquiry Form
• U.S. Department of State: Fees for Visa Services ($345 employment-based immigrant visa fee; checked October 14, 2026)
• Cornell LII: 8 CFR 213a.2
• eCFR: 20 CFR 656.12, Improper commerce and payment
• CLINIC: Navigating the NVC: Response Times, Documentary Qualification, and Consular Backlogs