NVC Requests In A Emergency Medical Event

Immigration Attorney

Note: The following is not intended as legal advice. One should consult an attorney with experience in a relevant practice area before making legal decisions.

After a case is documentarily qualified with the National Visa Center (NVC), there can sometimes be long wait times before the NVC schedules the Principal Applicant for a visa interview. In the event of a serious medical emergency, one can send an expedited request to the NVC to speed up the process by sending an email to NVCExpedite@state.gov. Sending the expedited request directly to the embassy where the Principal Applicant intends to attend the visa interview is not usually recommended by the NVC if the case is still with NVC and not with the U.S. embassy where the Principal Applicant intends to attend the visa interview. 

The email should have a subject line that says “expedite request” as well as the NVC case number, name and date of birth of the petitioner, name and date of birth of the beneficiary, and the invoice ID number provided by the NVC. 

The body of the email should also contain the NVC case number, the name and date of birth of the petitioner, the name and date of birth of the beneficiary, and the invoice ID number. The body of the email may explain the seriousness of the medical emergency in detail. If an attorney is submitting the expedited request, then they should include their name and indicate clearly that they are the attorney of record.

The email should contain a single PDF attachment with all evidence available to confirm the seriousness of the medical emergency. It must include a scanned letter from a doctor or a medical facility explaining that there is a life-or-death medical emergency. The letter must also include the contact information for the doctor or medical facility. A letter from a doctor or medical facility is required, but other supplemental evidence may be attached in the PDF file.

The PDF file may include a cover letter explaining the applicant’s circumstances and case history. It is important to accurately explain the Applicant’s circumstances that are causing the Applicant to require that the NVC expedite their case. The cover letter may be identical to the text written in the body of the email. 

If you or a relative have been waiting a long time for a visa interview after being documentarily qualified and are now facing a serious medical emergency, you may wish to consider consulting with an immigration attorney to discuss sending an expedited request to the NVC.