The immigration process is notorious for experiencing delays, especially when it comes to scheduling the interview. Many applicants wait months before they’re called in to appear for their immigration interviews, which leads them to wonder the reason behind why the National Visa Center has not moved forward with their schedules.

The first thing that applicants need to understand is that it’s not the National Visa Center that’s to blame for the delay in scheduling interviews. This responsibility is in the hands of the consulates or embassies abroad.

Who Schedules the Immigration Interview?

The embassy abroad is the agency in charge of scheduling the immigration interview. How it works is the case is sent from the USCIS to the National Visa Center, which then must collect all the documents and compile them in an immigration packet.

Once that’s done, the National Visa Center will notify the embassy and wait for an available appointment schedule. When a slot opens up, the National Visa Center releases the case to the embassy and schedules the interview appointment.

It’s the consulates and embassies abroad that tell the National Visa Center when they have an available interview slot and give the go-signal to release cases to them for scheduling the interview.

Why Your Immigration Interview Has Not Been Scheduled

Normally, the embassies abroad receive cases for pending interviews 30 days prior to the interview notice being sent to the applicant. This gives the applicant enough time to get ready for the interview and get all their paperwork and medical requirements in order.

Delays in scheduling the immigration interviews are common this year, especially as some consulates and embassies are moving slowly and have large backlogs.