Paying NVC Fees for Your US Immigration Case: A Fee-by-Fee Guide

Paying the NVC fees is a mandatory step that every US immigration case must complete after the petition is approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Paying the NVC fees unlocks the next steps: submitting the visa application, and uploading financial and civil documents. This guide walks through each fee in order, how to pay through the system, and the mistakes that commonly delay a case.

After the I-140 petition is approved, your EB-3 case is transferred from USCIS to the National Visa Center (NVC). There, the NVC will assign a case number and require payment of fees before allowing document submission. The My Second World team has put together this guide so you can clearly picture the sequence and avoid paying the wrong fee or missing one.

When does a case move to the NVC and require the NVC fees

The National Visa Center is an intermediary agency of the U.S. Department of State. The NVC receives the case after the petition is approved, then holds it until your priority date becomes current according to the Visa Bulletin.

When the NVC is ready to process your case, it sends a “Welcome Letter” by email or mail, along with an NVC Case Number and an Invoice ID Number. These two identifiers are the key to logging in and paying the NVC fees. So save them carefully as soon as you receive them.

In addition, the timing of this notice depends on your priority date status. If the EB-3 category is currently backlogged, the case may sit at the NVC for some time before you are invited to pay. So there is no need to worry if you have not received a payment request right after the petition is approved.

The main fees during the NVC stage

During consular processing, an employment-based immigration case typically incurs two groups of fees managed by the NVC. Understanding each one helps you plan your finances and avoid surprises.

• Immigrant Visa Application Processing Fee: this fee applies to each applicant, including the accompanying spouse and children. It is tied to the DS-260 form.
• Affidavit of Support Fee: this fee applies to the financial documentation (Form I-864) when it is needed to demonstrate that the sponsor or employer has sufficient financial capacity.

Both fees are paid through the NVC’s system before you submit the form and upload documents. The exact amounts change over time, so you should check against the current fee schedule published on the US Department of Statepage. We do not state a fixed figure here because fees may be adjusted.

Besides the two fees managed by the NVC, other costs arise at different stages: the medical exam at a designated facility, document translation, and certain fees collected at the interview. These are not paid through the NVC portal, so you need to distinguish them to avoid confusion.

What to prepare before paying the NVC fees

Preparing well in advance makes the payment process go smoothly and avoids repeated logins. Before you start, you should have the following information ready:

• NVC case number and the Invoice ID Number stated in the notification letter.
• A login account on the NVC’s electronic case processing system (CEAC).
• A US bank account to make the electronic payment (ACH), since the NVC portal requires a direct debit from a US bank account.
• The routing number and account number of that bank account.

This is where many Vietnamese EB-3 families run into trouble: the system only accepts payment via a US bank account, not an ordinary international credit card. As a result, many cases rely on the sponsoring employer, relatives, or a legal representative in the US to help make the payment.

If you are not sure who to ask or how to do this safely, the immigration consulting team at My Second World can guide you on coordinating with the sponsoring employer to complete this step.

Step-by-step guide to paying the NVC fees on the CEAC system

The entire payment process is done online through the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC). Below is the basic sequence to give you an idea.

1. Log in to CEAC. Access the NVC’s electronic filing portal, enter your NVC case number and invoice ID to reach your case management page.
2. Select the fee to pay. The system displays the fees currently due, including the visa application processing fee and the affidavit of support fee. Select the corresponding fee to proceed.
3. Enter your payment details. Provide your US bank account information: account holder name, routing number, and account number. Check every digit carefully before confirming.
4. Confirm and submit the payment order. After confirming, the system processes the electronic debit order. Do not close your browser until you receive confirmation that it has been recorded.
5. Wait for the status to change to “PAID”. The fee typically takes a few business days to process. Once the status changes to “PAID”, you can then submit the DS-260 or upload financial documents to the system.

This sequence may change slightly as the system’s interface is updated. For the latest official process, you should refer to the guidance from US Department of State on the immigrant visa process.

Fee payment order and its relationship to other steps

Paying the NVC fees does not stand alone — it is closely tied to the case processing sequence. Understanding this relationship helps you avoid doing things out of order, which can lock the next step.

Typically, the visa application processing fee needs to be marked “PAID” before you fill out and submit the DS-260. Likewise, the affidavit of support fee should be completed before uploading Form I-864 and the supporting financial documents. So the safe rule is: pay the fee first, wait for it to register, then submit the corresponding documents.

In addition, each applicant in the family has their own DS-260, but the application processing fee is charged per person. So a case with a spouse and children will incur multiple application processing fee payments, while the affidavit of support fee is usually charged once for the shared financial documentation. Review the number of applicants carefully so you do not miss any fee.

Once all fees are recorded and the case is complete, the NVC will move it to “Documentarily Qualified” status and schedule the interview at the U.S. Consulate General. So paying the fees correctly and in full is the condition for the case to advance to the final stage.

Common mistakes when paying the NVC fees and how to avoid them

In the course of assisting EB-3 clients, we have noticed a number of recurring mistakes that delay cases. Please note these to prevent them from the outset.

• Using the wrong type of payment account. The NVC portal only accepts electronic debits from a US bank account. Using an international card or a foreign account will be rejected.
• Entering the wrong routing number or account number. A single wrong digit can cause the payment order to fail and require starting over.
• Submitting documents before the fee is recorded. If you try to submit the DS-260 while the fee has not yet reached “PAID” status, the system will not let you proceed.
• Missing the fee for one applicant. For a family case, it is easy to forget one applicant’s processing fee, whether for a child or spouse.

In addition, save your receipts and screenshots each time you make a payment. This documentation is useful later if you need to cross-check or file a dispute with the NVC. So keeping organized records will help you stay in control if any issue arises.

One more point: fees paid to the NVC are generally non-refundable, even if the case changes. So you should check the information carefully and follow the correct order before confirming, rather than trying to fix mistakes afterward.

Summary

Paying the NVC fees is the gateway for your EB-3 case to move from the sponsorship stage to the immigrant visa application stage. The safe sequence is: receive the notification letter and case number, prepare a US bank account, log in to CEAC, pay the correct fees, wait for “PAID” status, then submit the DS-260 and financial documents. Since fee amounts change over time, always check the current fee schedule on the official U.S. Department of State source.

The next step after completing payment is filling out the DS-260 and preparing the financial documentation along with civil documents to upload to the system. If you still have questions about coordinating with the sponsoring employer or the order for submitting documents, please contact the immigration consulting team at My Second World to be accompanied through each step.