The petitioner or beneficiary will be informed by the National Visa Center of the post that was chosen. The major reason for lengthy waits, i.e. priority dates that are months or several years earlier than your inquiry, is the fact that each year many more people apply for immigrant visas than can be satisfied under the annual numerical limit set by law for preference cases. Certain categories, such as the family fourth preference, are heavily oversubscribed. In the case of an employer-sponsored petition, the priority date is the date the labor certification was filed with the Department of Labor. The document number is 1038.
Specific information is available from the U.S. consulate processing the case.
There may also be fees to obtain required documents, for certifying or notarizing documents, and for the medical examination. The cost of the immigrant visa itself remains constant, but other fees vary from post to post. The applicant will be informed of fees by the processing post. The fees are payable in U.S. and equivalent local currency. If an immigrant visa has already been issued and circumstances force the alien to remain abroad longer, the applicant should contact the U.S. consulate and request an extension of the immigrant visa s validity.