What does USCIS Case Was Sent To The Department of State mean? Have the documents arrived at NVC yet?

After the I-130 petition is approved by USCIS, many applicants continue to monitor the status and see the line:

Case Was Sent To The Department of State

This is a very important milestone because the dossier has begun to move to the consular processing stage.

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What does this status mean?

This notice says:

* USCIS has completed its processing.

* The file has been transferred to the US Department of State (Department of State).

* Applications will continue to be processed by the National Visa Center (NVC) if subject to consular processing.

This is a normal transition step for most settlement sponsorship applications.

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Have the documents arrived at NVC yet?

Not quite yet.

This status only confirms that USCIS has sent the application.

Then:

* Department of State receives.

* NVC creates new profile.

* NVC issues Case Number and Invoice ID.

* Email instructions will be sent to the sponsor or guaranteed person.

This process may take some additional time.

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What do you need to prepare after this step?

You should prepare:

* Passport is still valid.

* Birth certificate.

* Judicial background.

* Marriage certificate (if any).

* Financial records of the guarantor.

* Email is regularly used to receive notifications from NVC.

Preparing early will help complete the next steps faster.

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Do I need to contact NVC immediately?

Usually, no need.

After the documents are transferred, NVC will process them in order of receipt.

You only need:

* Email tracking.

* CaseTracker Auto tracking.

* Wait for NVC to issue a file number.

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Common mistake

Many people:

* Think the file has been opened right on CEAC.

* Worried because I haven't received an email after a few days.

* Send multiple requests to NVC while the application is still in the process of being received.

In fact, NVC needs time to create records before sending instructions.

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What does CaseTracker Auto support?

CaseTracker Auto helps users:

* Track the entire USCIS process.

* Receive notifications when documents are transferred to the Department of State.

* Follow up with NVC after being issued a Case Number.

* Manage the entire process from USCIS to interview in one app.

* Save update history for easy reference.

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Conclusion

“Case Was Sent To The Department of State” is a positive sign that the application has completed the USCIS stage and is moving to consular processing. This is the right time to prepare all documents for the next steps with NVC.