Hi everyone,
I'm petitioning my spouse for an IR1 spousal visa. Our case was determined to be Documentarily Qualified (DQ) in July 2025.
The beneficiary is a Colombian national but is a resident of Mexico and will interview at the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juárez (CDJ).
Today (October 10, 2025), approximately 3.5 months after our DQ date, we received the following email from the NVC. I believe this notice is confirming our interview location (CDJ) since he is interviewing outside his country of nationality.
My main question for the community is this:
Given that we are an IR1 case (Immediate Relative, not preference-based) and we received this specific location confirmation email 3.5 months after our DQ date, are we considered to be at the very top of the scheduling queue for Ciudad Juárez?
I know CDJ is high volume, but is this type of administrative email a strong indicator that the NVC is now transferring our file to the Consulate to be assigned an interview date soon?
Any recent timelines from other IR1/CR1 applicants at CDJ who were DQ'd around mid-2025 would be incredibly helpful!
Thank you all!
————————————-
Email Received Today:
Greetings,
In most cases, immigrant visa applicants must apply in the country where they live, with few exceptions. If an applicant lives in a country where visa services are limited or unavailable, NVC will assign the case to the designated alternate location.
Applicants living in a country different from their nationality can choose to apply in their country of residence. However, if they interview outside their country of nationality, their visa processing may be delayed.
If you would prefer to be interviewed in your country of nationality rather than your country of residence or designated processing post:
Contact the National Visa Center (NVC) through this Public Inquiry Form.
Request to transfer your case to your country of nationality.
If you have special circumstances that may require you to interview in a country other than your country of nationality, country of residence, or a designated processing post:
Contact the National Visa Center (NVC) through this Public Inquiry Form.
Explain the special circumstances in detail.
Traveling to or residing temporarily in a third country in order to apply for a U.S. visa does not constitute a special circumstance.
Sincerely,
National Visa Center
U.S. Department of State
https://nvc.state.gov
Hi everyone, I'm petitioning my spouse for an IR1 spousal visa. Our case was determined to be Documentarily Qualified (DQ) in July 2025. The beneficiary is a Colombian national but is a resident of Mexico and will interview at the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juárez (CDJ). Today (October 10, 2025), approximately 3.5 months after our DQ date, we received the following email from the NVC. I believe this notice is confirming our interview location (CDJ) since he is interviewing outside his country of nationality. My main question for the community is this: Given that we are an IR1 case (Immediate Relative, not preference-based) and we received this specific location confirmation email 3.5 months after our DQ date, are we considered to be at the very top of the scheduling queue for Ciudad Juárez? I know CDJ is high volume, but is this type of administrative email a strong indicator that the NVC is now transferring our file to the Consulate to be assigned an interview date soon? Any recent timelines from other IR1/CR1 applicants at CDJ who were DQ'd around mid-2025 would be incredibly helpful! Thank you all! ————————————- Email Received Today: Greetings, In most cases, immigrant visa applicants must apply in the country where they live, with few exceptions. If an applicant lives in a country where visa services are limited or unavailable, NVC will assign the case to the designated alternate location. Applicants living in a country different from their nationality can choose to apply in their country of residence. However, if they interview outside their country of nationality, their visa processing may be delayed. If you would prefer to be interviewed in your country of nationality rather than your country of residence or designated processing post: Contact the National Visa Center (NVC) through this Public Inquiry Form. Request to transfer your case to your country of nationality. If you have special circumstances that may require you to interview in a country other than your country of nationality, country of residence, or a designated processing post: Contact the National Visa Center (NVC) through this Public Inquiry Form. Explain the special circumstances in detail. Traveling to or residing temporarily in a third country in order to apply for a U.S. visa does not constitute a special circumstance. Sincerely, National Visa Center U.S. Department of State https://nvc.state.gov