Where to track US settlement records? How are USCIS, NVC and CEAC different?

Where to track US settlement records? How are USCIS, NVC and CEAC different?

One of the most common problems of people applying for US immigration is not knowing where to check their documents.

USCIS reports a status.

Then the file is transferred to NVC.

Then the user must log in to CEAC again.

If you do not understand the role of each system, it is easy to check in the wrong place or think that the records are not updated.

THREE SYSTEMS ARE NOT ONE

USCIS, NVC and CEAC have different functions.

USCIS is the agency that processes many types of US immigration benefits and petitions.

NVC is the National Visa Center under the Department of State, receiving and pre-processing immigrant visa applications after the petition is approved by USCIS and transferred to the Department of State.

CEAC is the electronic system used by the Department of State for many steps of the visa process, including submission of fees, forms and documents for applications eligible for electronic processing.

Therefore, a record may change its “tracking location” during processing.

PHASE 1: FOLLOW USCIS

When the application or petition is being processed by USCIS, users can check the Case Status Online by Receipt Number.

USCIS says the Receipt Number is a 13-character code, usually consisting of three letters and ten numbers.

This is an important code to identify records in the USCIS system.

In addition to status checks, USCIS also provides tools related to processing times, online accounts, and case inquiries.

This means:

If the application is still at USCIS, the Receipt Number is one of the most important pieces of information to manage.

PHASE 2: DOCUMENTS ARE TRANSFERRED TO NVC

After USCIS approves the petition as part of the immigrant visa process, the file can be transferred to the National Visa Center.

NVC will create visa documents and import data from the petition.

After creating the profile, NVC sends a Welcome Letter.

Welcome Letter contains important information such as:

NVC Case Number.

InvoiceID.

These two pieces of information are then used to access CEAC.

This is one of the points where users often get confused.

USCIS Receipt Number and NVC Case Number are not the same code.

Receipt Number should not be used to log in to CEAC.

PHASE 3: MONITORING ON CEAC

After receiving information from NVC, the applicant can use Case Number and Invoice ID to log in to CEAC.

CEAC allows users to manage multiple parts of the immigrant visa application.

Depending on the situation, users can take steps such as:

Payment of fees.

Complete DS-260.

Download Civil Documents.

Download Financial Documents.

Follow NVC's announcements.

Check the status of document sections.

Department of State said CEAC displays information about application status and the steps users need to take.

Therefore, after the application has been transferred to NVC, just checking USCIS is not enough.

ARE NVC AND CEAC THE SAME?

Are not.

NVC is the document processing agency.

CEAC is an electronic system used for users to perform and manage multiple visa processing steps.

Can be understood simply:

USCIS = petition stage and procedures under USCIS.

NVC = pre-interview immigration visa application processing center.

CEAC = electronic system for managing multiple steps of applications at the Department of State.

Therefore, when a user says:

“My NVC case is not updated.”

then need to determine which status in CEAC they are talking about, NVC's notification or NVC's processing time.

NOT EVERY USCIS APPROVED WILL HAVE A CASE NUMBER IMMEDIATELY

After USCIS approval, the application needs to be transferred to the Department of State and NVC.

NVC currently publishes case creation times separately.

This time varies depending on the amount of applications and the time NVC receives the petition from USCIS.

Therefore, users should not take a fixed time online and then conclude that their profile is slow.

A more accurate way is to check the official NVC processing time and compare it with the date USCIS transferred the file.

NVC also updates the processing times page periodically.

THIS IS WHY YOU NEED TO FOLLOW TIMELINE

A settlement application is not just one status.

For example:

January 1: I-130 Filed.

January 15: USCIS Received.

Then:

USCIS Processing.

I-130 Approved.

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