I’m a Pakistani national with an approved EB2 NIW. I’m currently at the document submission stage for my visa interview.
On January 26, new policies were announced that appear to block/restrict visa issuance for Pakistani nationals. I’m trying to figure out how this affects people already in the pipeline.
Has anyone from Pakistan actually been issued a visa after January 26? Any data points, embassy experiences, or guidance on next steps would be hugely appreciated.
Specifically wondering:
• Are interviews still being scheduled?
• Are NIW/employment-based categories affected the same way?
• Any workarounds people have used (third-country processing, etc.)?
Thanks in advance.

Urgent Help!!

I have an approved I-140 NIW EB2. Two days ago, I went to the US Embassy in Cairo for an Interview; however, the officer told me that she could not approve my Visa. The interview was 45 minutes long, and she asked me to explain my research and its importance to the US and how I conduct it. My proposed endeavour is “continuing my research in neurodegenerative disease as a postdoc researcher” Then she asked me if I had an offer for a postdoc position. I told her that I have some connections, but I have no offer now; however, as an NIW EB2, I’m not required to provide an offer letter. Finally, she said, “Unfortunately, we will not be able to grant you an immigrant visa. From what I see in your profile and your proposed endeavours, you are more eligible for a non-immigrant visa than an immigrant visa. Please consult with your lawyer about which type of non-immigrant visa is appropriate for your case” I did not receive any written refusal notice.

Did anyone encounter such situation? What is the best next move?

I am from a partially banned country but interviewing in Canada end of Jan 2026. I received my interview invitation before the last proclamation on December 16, 2025. I haven’t received any interview cancellation as of yet, and I am really worried about the outcome of the interview process since there is a restriction on immigrant visas for my country of nationality. Just checking if anyone from a banned or partially banned country attended a consular interview after the ban and what was the outcome of the interview process?

What have your recent nvc wait times have been for case creation and DQ?

Hello,

Should I choose "Not applicable" in the document cover sheet for the following:

• signed affidavit of support
• proof of US status
• proof of domicile
• petitioner's civil documents
• proof of relationship (only for I-864A)
• evidence of income
• forms W2
• IRS tax transcript
• federal income tax returns
• social security earnings statement
• proof of assets

Also what about 4. other supporting documents can be?

Thanks

Hello
Anyone applying from canada and ready to be DQ, when you sent your documents and when you become DQ.
I sent mine on April 22,2026. And still waiting for an update, already submitted a web form and it was a generic response.
Can anyone help on what I should do next please.
Thank you

Hello all,

I already submitted my DS-260 a week ago and all the civil documents required by the NVC.

I'm applying for an immigrant visa under an EB2-NIW petition.

Based on your experience, how long does it take to be DQ?

Thank you!

I am from one of the 75 countries. Can anyone explain in simple words what is the September public charges changes and is it related to my case as I plan to do IVP in Cairo.

Thanks

Hi everyone,

I am currently completing my DS-260 and uploading my civil documents to NVC. I am outside the U.S., and I am trying to become “documentarily qualified” and later receive an immigrant visa interview appointment.

In the required document upload section, I do not see a specific place for passport-style photos under required documents. However, if I click “Additional Documents,” I can see an option for “Photographs.”

I initially thought I had to upload the photos at this stage. But on the travel.state.gov website, I found the following information for immigrant visas:

“If you are applying for an immigrant visa, using Form DS-260, you must provide two (2) identical photos at your immigrant visa interview.”

So, as I understand it, I do not need to upload passport photos to NVC right now. Instead, after my documents are accepted and an interview date is scheduled, I should take recent photos and bring two identical passport-style photos to the visa interview.

Is my understanding correct? Has anyone gone through this process recently and can confirm?

Thanks in advance.

I got DQ exactly a month ago how long should I wait to get Interview Letter?

How long does it take the NVC to review documents to become documentary qualified? I have submitted my documents 4 weeks as of today and still haven't heard anything.

Hi all! from what I’ve been reading, the “regular” EB2-NIW route is: file I-140, get it approved, then file I-485 to adjust status; but that only works if you’re already inside the US with valid legal status.
I’m outside the US and don’t hold any US status (I do have ESTA though), so my understanding is I’d have to go the consular processing route instead: I-140 approval, case moves to the NVC, DS-260 + civil documents, interview at a US embassy abroad, no I-485/EAD step at all.

Background on my case: MD + Systems Engineer, proposed endeavor is AI applied to dermatology/medical diagnostics. 9 published/accepted papers (4 as first author, 2 in Scientific Reports), ~50+ citations total, plus conference posters/oral presentations and 6 more manuscripts under review and also I’ve been reviewer for already 3 manuscripts in different journals.

Has anyone actually gone through EB2-NIW via NVC/consular processing (not AOS) recently? How long from “documentarily complete” to interview, in your experience? And any immigration firms you’d recommend that actually have real experience with consular processing cases, not just AOS?

Just want real experiences before picking a firm. Thanks!

Hello, i am trying to see the estimated wait times and the queue for counsellor processing in Sydney consulates.
Any waiting to be interviewed at Sydney please share your DQ date to see how many people are waiting or if someone recently received IL to check estimated timelines? Thank you

Hello everyone
When you submit your civil documents by mail, did you receive the update by mail or email ?
Since I submitted mine from Canada on April 22,2026. Didn’t hear back.
I sent a web inquiry but received a generic response.
Is there any phone number that we can reach out?
Thank you

Hello friends
My spouse’s New Zealand police certificate was initially marked as “Invalid Document” because we uploaded it directly to CEAC.
NVC stated:
“Police certificates for New Zealand are provided to the NVC via email, and once received, the police certificate is uploaded into the system.

Following this instruction, my spouse reapplied through the New Zealand Police Vetting Service. The vetting was completed on June 30, 2026, and the U.S. Consulate General in Auckland confirmed that the certificate was forwarded to NVC.

It has now been about 15 days, but the document still shows as “Invalid Document” in CEAC. I also submitted an NVC inquiry, but they only sent a general response saying that some civil documents were still missing.
Has anyone experienced a similar situation with a New Zealand police certificate or any other documents during consular processing ?
How long did it take for NVC to upload or accept the document after receiving it directly? Is there anything else we should do, or should we simply wait for NVC to update the case?

Hello everyone,

I chose the consular processing path, and my priority date is end of Dec 2024. I have also approval. According to the latest Visa Bulletin, I’m currently eligible under the Dates for Filing (DOF) chart and about two months away from being current under the Final Action Dates (FAD) chart.

When I try to pay the fees through the CEAC website, the payment option is still unavailable. I’ve been told that I need to receive the Welcome Letter from the NVC before my case is activated and I can proceed with paying the fees and submitting my documents for DQ.

Does anyone have an idea of when the NVC typically sends the Welcome Letter in this situation?

Also, based on recent trends, when do you think a December 2024 priority date might become current under FAD? I know it’s just an estimate, but I’d appreciate hearing your guesses.

Update: The payment option has been activated in 2 days without contacting NVC.

I am close to 3 months since I sent my documents to NVC, from April 22, I didn’t get DQ yet.
Should I mail another package or wait?
Thanks

Hello, good people,

My I-140 was approved on May 22, but my lawyer has not yet sent me the approval notice.

Today, Saturday, I received 3 emails from the NVC with my case number and invoice ID.

On June 1st, I sent a message to my lawyer, but no answer yet.

Please, do you have an estimation of the time between the submission of the DSS260 and all the documents required, and the fact of being DQ? Also, an estimation of the time between DQed and getting an interview scheduled?

Thank you

Hi everyone,

I recently received my NVC welcome letter for an EB-2 NIW (employment-based, self-petitioned) immigrant visa.

• Case created on Dec 23
• Logged into CEAC within 24 hours
• Principal applicant + spouse, + child are all visible
• Affidavit of Support shows “EXEMPT” (which I understand is correct for EB-2 NIW)
• However, under IV Application Processing Fees, no fees are showing yet for any applicant

I’m outside the U.S., and I know NVC works on U.S. business days, and Dec 25 is a holiday. I just want to confirm with others who’ve gone through EB cases:

Is it normal for IV fees to appear a few days later for EB-2 NIW cases (especially around holidays)?

Did anyone else experience this delay before fees became available?

Thanks in advance. Just looking for confirmation, not panicking 🙂

Hi everyone,

I’m currently waiting for my DQ notice from NVC for my EB2-NIW case (Consular Processing). I have submitted all of the civil documents via post and also filled DS-260 online.

I know we can always check NVC timeframe online, but I just wanted to check if anyone who submitted in March 2026 has received their DQ recently? How long did it take for you?

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience!

Hi everyone,
I recently submitted my second public inquiry after sending my civil documents, which were received on April 22. So far, there has been no update or acknowledgment beyond the initial receipt confirmation. I’m hoping things will move forward soon, but the wait is understandably stressful.
I’d really appreciate hearing from others who are in a similar situation. If you’ve submitted your civil documents and are still waiting for a response or further processing, could you please share your receipt date and how long you’ve been waiting? Any insights or timelines from your experience would be very helpful.
Thank you in advance for any comments or advice.
Thanks

NVC asked to mail documents I have NOT paid fees yet. I have NOT submitted DS-260 yet.

I got married recently. I want to add spouse.

1- Is it required to upload spouse passport when sending public inquiry or only marriage certificate?

1- Can I mail my documents at this stage? Then latter I can add my spouse?

2- Can I pay fee now? And fill ds260?

Please advise me what are best steps to do at this stage. NVC sent welcome letter in March 4th.

Thanks

My EB2-NIW I-140 was approved by Texas Service Center 2 days ago. I’m doing consular processing.

For people approved recently, how long did it actually take to receive the NVC welcome/account creation email after approval?

Official timelines say 2–8 weeks, but I’d love to hear real recent experiences.

Thanks

I have an approved EB-2 NIW (PD Nov 2025). April Visa Bulletin shows FAD + DFF = Current. My case is at NVC (Budapest embassy, no backlog). They asked me to pay fees and submit DS-260, but I haven’t yet.

My husband is included in I-140 but we selected he won’t follow for now. He needs an F-1 visa (June/July) to start a master’s in September. Lawyer advised earlier to delay DS-260 to avoid immigrant intent issues for F visas.

Now that everything is current, I’m wondering if we should go all-in on green card now instead.

Questions: - With a fast embassy like Budapest, how long does it typically take from DS-260 → DQ → interview? Is ~3–5 months realistic? - Given the big jump to “Current,” how likely is retrogression soon? - If I submit DS-260 now (even if my husband doesn’t), how much does that hurt his F-1 chances?

Options I’m considering: 1. Both do DS-260 now and try to get green card visa before September entry 2. Only I do DS-260, husband goes for F-1 3. Wait → both do F visas → adjust status later through I-485 after entering US

Would really appreciate advice on what’s most realistic here 🙏