Last updated: October 2026. Fees, NVC timeframes and policy measures below are dated and linked to the official page. They change often, so recheck each link before you pay or travel.
EB2 NIW consular processing is how an applicant living outside the United States turns an approved I-140 into an immigrant visa. After approval, USCIS sends the petition to the State Department’s National Visa Center (NVC). You pay the $345 immigrant visa fee, complete Form DS-260 and upload your civil documents. Once NVC marks the case documentarily complete and your priority date is current, NVC schedules an interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate. You complete a panel-physician medical exam before the interview. If the visa is issued, you pay the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee and enter the U.S. as a permanent resident. Below is each step, with the official source for every point.
Key takeaways
- One State Department fee, one USCIS fee: $345 per applicant for the employment-based immigrant visa, then the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee after the visa is issued.
- A self-petitioned NIW is generally outside the Form I-864 rules. Official pages require an I-864 in employment cases only when a relative filed the I-140 or owns a significant interest (5% or more) in the business that filed it.
- “Documentarily complete” does not mean an interview date. Your priority date must also be current, and embassies fill interview slots first in, first out.
- Answer NVC within one year. The law allows the petition to be terminated if you do not apply within a year of being notified that a visa is available.
- The visa usually lasts up to six months, and less if your medical exam expires sooner.
EB2 NIW consular processing at a glance
| Stage | What happens | Who acts |
|---|---|---|
| 1. I-140 approved | USCIS sends the approved petition to NVC | USCIS |
| 2. Case created | NVC sends a Welcome Letter with your case number and invoice ID | NVC |
| 3. Fees | You pay the $345 immigrant visa fee in CEAC and wait about 10 calendar days for it to process | You |
| 4. DS-260 | You and each family member immigrating with you complete Form DS-260 online | You |
| 5. Civil documents | You scan and upload them to CEAC (do not mail them to NVC) | You |
| 6. Review | NVC either asks for corrections or confirms the case is documentarily complete | NVC |
| 7. Interview scheduled | Your priority date is current and the post has an opening | NVC and the embassy |
| 8. Medical exam | A panel physician examines you before the interview | You |
| 9. Interview | A consular officer decides whether you are eligible | Consular officer |
| 10. Entry | You pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee, travel, CBP admits you, and the green card is mailed | You, CBP, USCIS |
Sources: the State Department’s NVC processing steps and the USCIS consular processing page.
Step 1: NVC case creation after I-140 approval
Once NVC creates your case, it sends a Welcome Letter by email or post. You then use the case number and invoice ID to log in to the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC). The NVC Timeframes page, updated weekly, gave these figures as of October 19, 2026:
- Case creation: NVC was working on cases received from USCIS on October 2, 2026.
- Document review: NVC was reviewing documents submitted on August 13, 2026.
- Public Inquiry Form: NVC was answering inquiries received on October 8, 2026.
Keep the Welcome Letter, because you need it throughout the process. Also note the warning NVC repeats on its pages: under INA 203(g), the State Department “shall terminate the registration” of an applicant who does not apply within one year of notice that a visa is available. If you have not heard from NVC weeks after approval, see our post-approval guidance.
Step 2: the priority date decides when NVC moves
EB-2 visas are limited by number, so approval alone does not start the interview clock. The October 2026 Visa Bulletin sets these EB-2 dates:
| EB-2 chart | Final Action Date | Date for Filing |
|---|---|---|
| All Chargeability (Rest of World), Mexico, Philippines | 01JAN25 | 15MAR26 |
| China (mainland born) | 01OCT21 | 01JAN23 |
| India | 01NOV13 | 15JAN15 |
According to the bulletin, if your priority date is earlier than the Date for Filing, you “may assemble and submit required documents” to NVC once NVC notifies you. A visa can be issued only when your date is earlier than the Final Action Date. USCIS says your chargeability usually follows your country of birth.
Step 3: NVC fees for an EB-2 NIW case
| Fee | Amount | When | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immigrant visa application (employment-based, I-140) | $345 per person | At NVC, before the DS-260 opens | State Department fees |
| Affidavit of Support fee | $120, only when an I-864 is reviewed in the U.S. | At NVC, if required | State Department fees |
| Medical exam and vaccinations | Varies; paid to the panel physician | Before the interview | State Department |
| USCIS Immigrant Fee | $235 per immigrant | After the visa is issued | USCIS G-1055 |
NVC’s fee step says payment requires a U.S. bank routing number and account, and that you should allow 10 calendar days for processing. You cannot open the DS-260 until the fee is processed. Fees are charged for each applicant, including a spouse and children; see EB2 NIW spouse and children.
Step 4: is an Affidavit of Support (I-864) required for NIW?
Many guides either skip this question or get it wrong. Here is exactly what the official pages say:
- The State Department’s employment-based visa page says an I-864 is required “where a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (LPR) relative filed the Form I-140 petition or where such a relative has a significant ownership interest in the entity that filed the petition”.
- The Form I-864 instructions (edition 08/24/26) describe the same trigger and set the ownership threshold at “five percent or more”. They state that the form is required for “some employment-based intending immigrants”.
- NVC’s fee FAQs list only immediate relatives and family-preference immigrants as required to pay the Affidavit of Support fee.
In a self-petitioned NIW, you file the I-140 yourself, so no relative filed it and there is no petitioning business for a relative to own. On the official wording, neither I-864 trigger normally applies. Two cautions remain. First, the State Department page also says you must show the consular officer that you are “not likely to become a public charge”. Second, if CEAC still asks you for an Affidavit of Support, NVC’s Affidavit of Support step tells you to contact NVC and explain why you are not required to submit one, and to do this before paying the fee. If an employer filed your EB-2 and a relative owns part of that employer, the answer may be different, so ask a licensed immigration attorney.
Step 5: complete the DS-260 for an EB-2 NIW case
Once CEAC shows “PAID”, you and every family member immigrating with you each complete a DS-260. According to the DS-260 step, submitting the form “does not formally execute a visa application”; that happens at the interview. Print the confirmation page and bring it to the interview. Posts such as Accra and Nairobi also ask for it at the medical exam. Your answers about employment and education should match your I-140 record.
Step 6: civil documents and police certificates
The civil documents step lists what each applicant needs: a birth certificate, a marriage certificate for every marriage, proof that every prior marriage ended, court and prison records if convicted, military records if you served, and a copy of your passport bio page. Any document not in English or the official language of the country where you apply needs a certified translation. Documents must come from the official issuing authority, so use the State Department’s country-by-country document finder.
| Police certificate rule (age 16 or older) | Which country |
|---|---|
| Lived in your country of nationality for more than 6 months | Country of nationality |
| Lived in your current country of residence for more than 6 months | Country of residence |
| Lived anywhere for 12 months or more after age 16 | That country |
| Arrested anywhere, at any age | That city or country |
Police certificates generally expire after two years, and no U.S. police certificate is needed. Under NVC’s interview preparation step, you need a new certificate if yours will expire before the interview or if you turned 16 after the case became documentarily complete. Bring the new certificate to the interview; do not send it to NVC. Country-specific rules vary widely. See our guides for Kenya, Pakistan and Nigeria.
Step 7: becoming documentarily qualified
After you press “Submit Documents” in CEAC, NVC reviews the file. The upload step describes two outcomes: “Corrections Required”, meaning you fix the problem and resubmit, or “Documentarily Complete”. NVC’s pages now use “documentarily complete”; the Visa Bulletin uses “documentarily qualified”. The bulletin explains that consular officers report documentarily qualified applicants to the State Department, and visa numbers are allocated by reported priority date. Being complete therefore matters even before your date is current, because that is how your case is counted. NVC says it “cannot predict” when an interview will be scheduled. Embassies give NVC their available dates, and NVC fills them “first-in, first-out”.
Still deciding between filing now and strengthening your petition first? Get a free profile evaluation from Skycap’s petition team.
EB2 NIW consular processing: where you interview, and policy checks
Since November 1, 2025, NVC has scheduled immigrant visa applicants in their country of residence or, on request, their country of nationality, with rare exceptions. Check these measures as of October 2026:
- Proclamation 10998 (effective January 1, 2026) suspends or limits visas for nationals of 39 countries. The text contains no general exception for employment-based immigrants.
- The 75-country immigrant visa pause began on January 21, 2026. The State Department says it has not been in effect since August 21, 2026, under the court’s order in CLINIC et al. v. Rubio.
- In Africa, routine visa services at 25 posts moved to regional hubs on August 1, 2026, according to the State Department’s realignment notice. The notice says the medical exam can be done in your home country if it has a panel physician, or at the hub.
Step 8: the medical exam
Once you receive the appointment letter, book an exam with a panel physician approved by the embassy in the country where you will interview. Exams by other doctors are not accepted. Results can take up to 96 hours, and any required vaccinations must be done before the interview. If the doctor hands you a sealed envelope, do not open it. Some posts set longer lead times; Accra, for example, asks for the exam at least three weeks before the interview. Read your post’s own instructions.
Step 9: the NIW embassy interview
The State Department’s interview step says the principal applicant must attend, along with family members aged 14 or older. Bring the appointment letter, a passport valid for six months beyond your intended entry, two photos, the DS-260 confirmation, and originals or certified copies of every civil document you uploaded. Your fingerprints are scanned at the interview. Some posts list extra items. Accra and Nairobi, for example, ask employment-based applicants for a recent U.S. employer letter. If you are a self-petitioner without a job offer, ask the post what to bring in its place. Our article on whether EB2 NIW requires an interview compares this with adjustment of status.
If the officer needs more information, the visa is refused under INA 221(g) until you provide it. The after-the-interview step says that for administrative processing, applicants should wait at least 180 days before asking about status, except in emergencies.
Step 10: visa issuance, the USCIS Immigrant Fee and entry
Check the visa foil for errors as soon as you receive it. An immigrant visa is usually valid for up to six months from issuance, unless your medical exam expires sooner. The principal applicant must enter before or together with family members. The State Department says to pay the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee “after you receive your immigrant visa and before you travel”. The USCIS Immigrant Fee page “strongly encourage[s]” paying before departure but also allows payment after arrival. Either way, no green card is issued until the fee is paid. CBP decides admission at the port of entry, and USCIS then mails the card. If it has not arrived within 90 days, USCIS says to contact its Contact Center.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does EB2 NIW consular processing cost?
At the government level, $345 per applicant for the immigrant visa and $235 per immigrant for the USCIS Immigrant Fee, plus the panel physician’s charges and the cost of civil documents.
Do NIW self-petitioners file Form I-864?
Generally not. Official pages require an I-864 in employment cases only when a relative filed the I-140 or owns 5% or more of the business that filed it. You must still show that you are not likely to become a public charge.
What does documentarily qualified mean?
It means NVC has your fees, DS-260 and required documents. NVC calls this “documentarily complete”. You still need a current priority date and an open interview slot.
Can I submit documents before my priority date is current?
Yes. If your date is earlier than the Date for Filing (15MAR26 for Rest of World in October 2026), you can submit once NVC notifies you.
How long is the immigrant visa valid?
Usually up to six months from issuance, or less if your medical exam expires first.
Want a clear plan from I-140 to interview? Evaluate your profile for free and talk to Skycap’s petition team.
Related guides
This article is general information, not legal advice. Skycap Consultancy is a petition-preparation consultancy, not a law firm. Requirements and fees change; check the linked USCIS pages before filing.
