Your Visa Priority Date Is Current, But You’re Still Waiting for the NVC Welcome Letter? It May Have Been Sent Years Ago!

Recently, many applicants in the F4 category—brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens—finally became current. Chart A suddenly moved from September 1, 2009, to October 22, 2011.

The 2011 priority date was nearly 15 years ago. After waiting all these years, some applicants finally became current, but they are still sitting around waiting for the NVC Welcome Letter, thinking that NVC will only send it after their priority date becomes current and that they can only begin the immigrant visa process at that point.

Actually, you really shouldn’t keep waiting.

1️⃣ Your NVC Welcome Letter may have been sent a long time ago

Many people assume that NVC will only send the Welcome Letter after their Chart A priority date becomes current.

That’s not how it works.

NVC often sends the Welcome Letter well before Chart A becomes current. Some applicants may even receive it several years in advance.

After NVC receives an approved I-130 from USCIS, it can create the immigrant visa case and send the Welcome Letter by email to the email address provided when the petition was filed.

The letter contains two very important pieces of information:

Case Number

Invoice ID Number

And yes—the Welcome Letter can arrive years before your Chart A priority date becomes current.

Some applicants may have already prepared everything, including:

✅ Completed the DS-260

✅ Obtained and submitted birth certificates and other civil documents

✅ Prepared the Affidavit of Support (I-864)

✅ Completed the NVC document submission process

They may now simply be waiting for an interview appointment.

Meanwhile, you’re still waiting for your first NVC letter. 😫

Remember: for an immigrant visa interview, the required documents generally need to be submitted and the case needs to become documentarily complete before the consulate can move forward with interview scheduling.

And even after an interview is scheduled, applicants may still have to wait several months—or even longer, depending on the consulate’s appointment availability.

Now that family-based visa dates have suddenly moved forward so significantly, getting your NVC documents ready early can put you in a much better position when interview slots become available.

2️⃣ How can you find your NVC Welcome Letter?

First, check the email address of the U.S. citizen petitioner that was provided on the I-130 filed many years ago.

Search that email inbox using keywords such as “NVC.”

📌 You may be surprised to find that the Welcome Letter was actually sent years ago.

(See Figure 2)

If you can no longer access the email address that was originally provided, you can contact NVC through the NVC Public Inquiry Form to inquire about your case and request that the email address be updated to one you currently use.

🔥 So if your F4 priority date just became current, don’t just sit back and wait for a letter. Check your old email first!

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