USCIS approved the petition and sent it to the Department of State's National Visa Center (NVC) for the visa stage at a U.S. embassy or consulate.
Updates now come from the NVC, so the USCIS status usually stops changing. For immigrant visas, the NVC contacts you about fees, forms and documents before the interview.
Informational only, not legal advice. Go by the notice USCIS sent you, and confirm deadlines and options with USCIS or an immigration attorney.
Based on 301 moves out of this status in cases we tracked over the last two years. Only cases that have moved on are counted, so cases still waiting aren't included.
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USCIS approved the petition, often an I-130 or I-129F, and sent it to the National Visa Center so the visa can be processed at an embassy or consulate abroad.
It varies, often a few weeks. The NVC gives the case its own case number. Check the State Department's NVC pages for current timeframes.
USCIS's part is done. Follow the next steps on the State Department's Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) instead.
In cases we track, half moved to their next status within 45 days (301 cases over the last two years). Every case is different, so treat this as a rough guide.