Immigrant Visa Wait Times
On this page:Overview
Every immigrant visa case is different, so it is difficult to estimate how long the process will take for a specific individual. In general, there are three factors that contribute to the processing time required:
Time Required to Process a Petition
The time it takes for USCIS to approve a petition varies according to the type of petition and the specific USCIS office involved. Estimates for specific USCIS offices are available here.
Time Required to Process through the National Visa Center and the U.S. Embassy
Once an immigrant visa petition is approved the National Visa Center (NVC) will provide instructions regarding the submission of additional documentation and information. The more quickly you follow the instructions provided by the NVC and submit all requested documents the sooner an appointment can be scheduled for your beneficiary. K1 fiancé(e) visa cases are not scheduled by the NVC but are scheduled directly by the Immigrant Visa section of Embassy Cairo. The beneficiary in K1 cases will be contacted by phone or e-mail when the case is scheduled for an interview.
Time for Case to Become Current
For certain categories of immigrants, the law allows only a limited number of visas to be issued each year. These cases are processed strictly in order of the date the petition was filed (this is the priority date). Visas cannot be issued until an applicant's priority date is reached (the application becomes current). This could take several years. While it is impossible to say exactly how long it will take, the Visa Bulletin, published monthly, lists the priority dates currently being processed, which may provide an indication of how much time remains.
Note: When the petitioner naturalizes, all F2A petitions (spouse or minor child of a permanent resident) are automatically converted to IR1 (spouse of an American) or IR2 (child of an American) petitions. These visa categories are not subject to the visa quota system and will, therefore, always have visas available for the beneficiaries' use if they qualify for visa issuance. Contact USCIS for more information.