Why is it taking so long for my wife to get her visa ?

Question

it has maybe been 3 years and me and my wife from china have been trying to get her a visa, i travel back and see her every winter. we have done every thing that the government told us to do and i no it is very emportand. the last letter that i received stated that the national visa center has completed its processing of my wifes case and had forwarded the file to the desighated american embassy in china. i received this letter back in july 2007 the letter then goes on to say that when my wifes priority date is eligible she will be contacted about her interview. and then at the bottom of the letter it says that her priority date is 2OCT2006 what does this mean ? i know there is a help line i can call but i cant call it intel i get my pass port back so i can give them my passport number. if there is anyone out there with some good news or advice let me no.

Answer 1

Because they are bogged down with hundreds of thousands of applicants from India and Mexico from folks who just want to take our jobs...

Answer 2

it usually takes a long time for immigrant visas to be processed. don't worry, you're still within the 5 year mark for that kind of visa which means that it's still within the normal time frame.

since NVC has already done their part, it is the consuls in china that are processing your papers now. a lot of people from china are applying to immigrate to the US, which means there are lots of people that are ahead of your application that is being or needs to be processed.

i received my NVC notification in july 2006 and it wasn't until in december 2006. that i received the letter of appointment from the embassy. and this was in canada where there aren't a lot of people wanting to immigrate to the US. even then, it still takes time for the papers to be processed.

don't worry, you're in the last stretch. if all your documents are correct and complete, when you get the notification from the embassy, it's the appointment packet that tells you when the interview date is and which doctor to go to for the medical exam. after that, you may or may not be granted a visa. it's already almost at the end of your visa journey.

the priority date means that it was in oct 2006 that your papers were received (by the NVC or USCIS i'm not sure). the offices usually process these papers in bulk and by the date received. that way, those applications that were received earlier are process before the later ones.

Answer 3

NVC has sent your wife's file to the consulate in China that you specified for her interview.  Now it depends on that consulate's backlog.  It can take up to three months for a consulate to actually receive and enter the file data into their system once NVC puts it in the out box, but it would be okay to call now to find out when her interview will be scheduled.