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US Immigration from India

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NVC “First Termination Letter” after long visa backlog – CEAC locked, submitted inquiry, what next?

1:46 pm April 17, 2026

SimAsh

Read 819 Times
31 Replies

Hello everyone,

I m looking for guidance from anyone who has dealt with a similar NVC situation.

I am a U.S. citizen and filed an immigrant visa petition for my brother. Our case details are as follows:

NVC case created: December 2020
Notice of Immigrant Visa Case Creation received: January 2023
Visa category: Family based (backlogged with long priority date wait)

When we first received the NVC notice in 2023, we were instructed to log into CEAC to pay fees and submit documents. However, at that time the fee and document buttons were grayed out, and we later learned this was due to visa unavailability / priority date not being current. Because of this, we did not submit fees or documents and were waiting for further notice once a visa became available.

Fast forward to April 15, 2026, we unexpectedly received an email from NVC titled First Termination Letter. The letter states that a visa number is now available and references INA 203(g), giving us one year to take action before the case is terminated.

The letter instructs us to log into CEAC to restart the case. However, when we try to log in, CEAC displays a message saying that:

fee payments and online forms can no longer be accepted because the case has been inactive for over one year.

CEAC tells us to contact NVC, so we immediately submitted a Public Inquiry Form requesting reactivation of the case and reopening of CEAC access. We attached the termination notice and supporting documentation.

Right now, we are waiting for NVC to respond.

My questions:

Has anyone successfully had an NVC case reopened after receiving a First Termination Letter ?
Is this CEAC lockout normal while NVC reviews the inquiry?
Is there anything else we should be doing proactively while waiting for NVC s response?

Any shared experiences or advice would be greatly appreciated. This process has been long and confusing, and we want to make sure we don t miss anything during this one year window.

Thank you in advance.

2 year prior relationship requirement to file K1

12:43 pm April 15, 2026

DVP

Read 340 Times
5 Replies

Hi all members,

is it true information that we have to be in relationship for at least 2 years prior to file K1 petition ?

Because I am not sure about that information as we have biased information,

please,let s us know the right information.

Thank you

My 5 Year EB1A Green Card Journey

6:48 am April 14, 2026

pyrexparalzyed

Read 217 Times
4 Replies

I ve been a silent reader on forums for years and now that I finally have my green card in hand.. I wanted to give back by sharing my full journey. Hopefully this helps someone going through the same process, specially those from backlogged countries like India and China.

Background

Country of chargeability: India

Category: EB1A

Country of chargeability: India

Category: EB1A

Dependent applicant (father was the primary applicant, sports coach top 1% in his field)

Timeline

July 2021: Entered the US for the first time on an O1 dependent visa.

August 2021 March 2022: Began preparing EB1A petition through an attorney. Faced delays due to Police Clearance Certificate

March 3rd 2022: I-140 filed

Received RFE
Attorney responded within 1 month.

February 2023: I-140 approved

February 2024: Moved back to India as my dad received a better job opportunity there.
From this point onward, we continued the process from India and waited there until our case progressed.

From early 2023 to April 2025 there was almost 2 years of no movement in the visa bulletin for India.
Month after month of checking, hoping and being disappointed.

April 2025 Visa Bulletin: Finally moved by 15 days, (Feb 1 -> Feb 15) small progress. Me and our attorney were convinced that after this small progress, the October VB would bring in some good news.

October 2025 Visa Bulletin: No movement again. At this point I felt lost and anxiety was at its peak because I was also aging out. My attorney said I have until June 2026 under the CSPA.

November 2025 Visa Bulletin: Date jumped forward by a month and our priority date finally became current after more than a 2 year wait. I couldn t believe it to be honest relief is an understatement.

2 weeks later, NVC contacted us and scheduled interview at Mumbai Consulate.Before interview, we had to do our medical exam and renew our pcc s as the old ones had expired.

January 5 2026 Interview Day (Mumbai Consulate): Was extremely anxious going in but the experience was surprisingly smooth. Officer was very friendly and relaxed and the questions were pretty straightforward.Then the words you wait years to hear: Your visa has been approved

January 8, 2026: Received passports with immigrant visa stamped.

March 7 2026
Flew Delhi Shanghai LAX.

Travel experience was trouble free. At LAX, CBP officer was actually excited seeing an immigrant visa packet lol. Didn t question us but just confirmed the mailing address for the green card.

April 13 2026: Received physical green card in hand. USCIS case tracker still shows card was mailed to me and tracker is unavailable.. so don t rely on the tracker.

Suggestions

Be mentally prepared for long periods of no movement. It s a sad reality.

Backlogs are brutal (specially India/China), but things can move suddenly.

Have a good attorney (ignore if self filing) it makes a difference during RFE stages.

Try to find distractions or hobbies during the wait.

Some days will feel overwhelming and that s normal.

Final Thoughts

If you re going through this process right now.. I genuinely hear you and feel you. The uncertainty is the most exhausting part. The part that slowly kills people from the inside. But, don t lose hope. Even when it feels like nothing is moving things can change quickly.

Huge thanks to communities like:

r/greencard

r/eb_1a

r/uscis

r/nationalvisacenter

and everyone who answered my anxiety driven questions along the way.

If you have any questions feel free to ask and I ll try my best to help.

DCF guidance needed

4:37 pm March 25, 2026

DVP

Read 509 Times
9 Replies

I want to know how to file a DCF.

My fiance wants to file direct counselor at Mumbai embassy,India

Aa she is with me to spend a vacation in India.we want to get married but how to do Direct counsel filling or file a CR1?

We want this immigration fast so we can live together asap.

which one is the best option for us DCF or CR1?

please let us reply

Thanking you all members here

Question on Re-entry permit for Parents

2:43 am February 12, 2026

ds2

Read 468 Times
3 Replies

Hi everyone, looking for some insight or experience regarding my parents' situation.

Background: My parents visited the US for 6 months/year for the last 3 years on B1/B2.

GC Timeline: We applied for their Green Cards in June 2025 after deciding they will move here permanently; they were approved in August 2025.

Travel: They went back to India in October 2025 (2 months after getting GC) to wrap up personal business. They returned to the US in December 2025 (stayed 2.5 months).

The Issue: Upon entry in Dec 2025, the CBP officer advised them to get a Reentry Permit because they are "spending too much time outside the US."

Questions:

Why would they be warned for a 2.5-month trip? Is it because of their previous history as visitors, or the fact they left so soon after getting the GC?

They have a 2-week trip to Ireland planned for Sept 2026. They won't travel internationally at all between now and then.

Should they apply for a Reentry Permit just for this 2-week trip? Or was the officer just looking at their overall "footprint" from the last few years?

Has anyone else s parents received this warning for relatively short trips? Thanks in advance!