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Guide · Waiting on USCIS

Spouse Visa Processing Stages: I-130 to Interview

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the National Visa Center (NVC), and consular offices publish separate timing information. Visa availability is separate. Check your current stage’s source; these figures cannot predict your personal finish date.

For: Married couples where a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident filed Form I-130 for a spouse and the case is proceeding through consular processing.

Written from official U.S. government sources. Last reviewed September 2026. Sources and limits. 1 source awaits review.

At a glance

  • USCIS: Use its official Case Processing Times tool for current processing information; this guide reproduces no estimate.
  • NVC: Its weekly timeframes page reports case creation, document review, and inquiry responses separately.
  • Spouses of permanent residents (F2A): Check the current Visa Bulletin for visa availability; cutoffs can change from month to month.
  • Interview scheduling: The IV Scheduling Status Tool reports documentarily complete cohorts by embassy or consulate and category, not an appointment date for an individual case.

The five stages, in order

Origin: official source. Official sourceStated by a US government publisher on the page we cite.Sources

  1. 1. File the I-130 with USCIS

    USCIS · Filing

    The U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse files Form I-130. Keep the receipt notice and its recorded priority date. This guide gives no receipt-notice estimate.

  2. 2. USCIS reviews the I-130

    USCIS · Petition review

    Check USCIS’s Case Processing Times tool for petition timing. No current estimate was verified for this guide because retrieval returned 403. Petition review and F2A visa-number availability are separate.

  3. 3. Case transfers to the NVC

    NVC · Case creation and review

    After approval and transfer, NVC creates the visa case and reviews fees and documents. Its weekly timeframes page reports case creation, document review, and inquiry responses separately. Follow your NVC notice.

  4. 4. Interview scheduling at the embassy

    NVC and embassy or consulate · Scheduling

    NVC works with the embassy or consulate to schedule documentarily complete cases when appointments are available. F2A also needs a visa number under current Final Action Dates. The IV Scheduling Status Tool shows scheduled documentarily complete groups, not your appointment date.

  5. 5. Interview and visa issuance

    Embassy or consulate · Case-specific next steps

    After the interview, follow the embassy or consulate’s instructions and case updates. This guide gives no visa-issuance or passport-return estimate.

CR-1 vs IR-1

Origin: official source. Official sourceStated by a US government publisher on the page we cite.Sources

CR-1 or IR-1 classification depends on the marriage length at admission, not at I-130 filing. Read State’s spouse-visa categories. This distinction does not establish identical waits.

Why the stages do not combine into one clock

Origin: Togetherward explanation. Togetherward explanationOur reading of the official sources, not something an agency says.

  • Petition review, NVC work, visa availability, and interview capacity are separate measures.
  • NVC work dates do not predict your remaining wait.
  • For preference categories, including F2A, check Final Action Dates in the current Visa Bulletin.
  • Requests for information and local instructions can add steps beyond a general processing figure.

Figures that change

These numbers change without notice. We only show one when a person has verified it against the official source recently enough; otherwise we say so and send you to the source.

Common questions

How long does the I-130 petition take?
Use the official Case Processing Times tool for current petition information. It does not promise an individual decision date.
How long does the CR-1 / IR-1 visa take end to end?
The sources measure separate stages. Adding their figures does not predict an individual finish date.
How long does NVC processing take?
The weekly NVC Timeframes page reports case creation, document review, and inquiry responses separately. These work dates do not predict your case’s duration.
What is the difference between CR-1 and IR-1?
CR-1 and IR-1 depend on the length of the marriage at admission: under two years or at least two years. Check State’s spouse-visa guidance; this guide does not claim their waiting times are identical.

Related guides

How Togetherward helps

Suggestion

Togetherward is a shared workspace for internationally separated couples. It helps organize I-130 evidence, NVC documents, and interview preparation while both partners follow the stages of the case. It does not file for you.

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This guide reproduces no processing-time, visa-availability, or interview-scheduling figures. Use the linked USCIS and Department of State pages for current information; they do not predict an individual case's finish date. This is not legal advice and Togetherward is not a law firm. Consult a licensed immigration attorney for guidance specific to your situation.

Sources and limits

Last reviewed and verification status

Last reviewed
Last recorded source review: . We aim to re-read it every 30 days.
Review recorded.
Verification status of the sources behind this page
5 of 6 sources are recorded as checked. 1 is awaiting verification. See the note beside each pending source for what remains to be checked.

Verified (5)

Pending verification (1)

  • Pending verificationUSCIS — Check case processing times — Direct retrieval of the USCIS Case Processing Times tool returned 403 on 2026-09-27. This guide links the tool but does not reproduce a current estimate or claim that its contents were reviewed. Flagged .
About this guide and its review

Guide scope

  • Waiting on USCIS
  • CR-1 / IR-1 (Form I-130)
  • F2A (spouse of a permanent resident)
Who this is for
Married couples where a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident filed Form I-130 for a spouse and the case is proceeding through consular processing.
Stage it covers
From filing Form I-130 through NVC document review and the immigrant-visa interview.
What it helps you do
Find the official timing source for the current stage and understand what each published measure covers.
What this page cannot tell you
  • How long your own case will take. The official sources report changing estimates or cohorts, not an individual finish date.
  • Whether a visa number is available for an F2A case this month.
  • Your consulate's current interview scheduling or appointment date.
  • Whether your category is CR-1 or IR-1 — that depends on the length of the marriage at admission.

How we put this page together

Togetherward analysis

The recorded review checked State’s NVC timeframes, interview-scheduling tool, September 2026 Visa Bulletin, and spouse-visa process page. Direct access to the USCIS timing tool returned 403. No current USCIS estimate appears here. Changing figures remain with their official sources.

What we did not include

  • A single predicted date or combined duration for any individual case.
  • Current processing estimates, NVC work dates, Visa Bulletin cutoffs, or embassy or consulate scheduling cohorts; each changes and remains at its official source.
  • Fees and form editions.
  • Adjustment of status inside the US, which is a different path with its own timeline.

Review record

Author
The Togetherward editorial team. The people who build Togetherward. We are not attorneys and we do not give legal advice.
Review
Reviewed by Togetherward Team
Scope of review
Read the full review scope

Review scope: The source review checked this timing guide against the current Department of State NVC timeframes, IV Scheduling Status Tool, September 2026 Visa Bulletin, and spouse-visa process page on 2026-09-27. It removed stale numeric ranges and anecdotal timing claims, separated USCIS petition review, NVC work dates, F2A visa availability, and post scheduling, and left current values at their official sources. Direct retrieval of the USCIS processing-time tool returned 403, so no current USCIS estimate was verified or copied. This does not assess legal accuracy for an individual's facts; speak with a qualified immigration attorney about your case.

Dates
Last reviewed · Published .
Review status: Review recorded.
How this guide was prepared
How we review guides.
What the labels in this guide mean
  • Official factStated by a U.S. government publisher on the source page we cite.
  • Togetherward analysisOur reading of the official sources, not something an agency says.
  • SuggestionA way to organise your own case. Optional, and not a requirement.
Limitations
  • This is an explanation of a published government process, not legal advice, and not a prediction about your case.
  • Figures that move — processing ranges, Visa Bulletin dates, fees, form editions, interview availability — are described rather than reproduced here, so you read the current number at the source.
  • USCIS, the National Visa Center, the embassy, or the consular officer may ask for something this page does not mention.
  • Processing estimates, NVC work dates, Visa Bulletin cutoffs, and interview scheduling observations change and measure different stages. This guide reproduces none of those values and cannot predict a total duration for an individual case.
Commercial independence
Commercial independence: nobody pays to appear on this page. There are no sponsors, no advertising, no referral fees, no affiliate links, and no paid placement of any attorney, agency, or service. Togetherward makes money from couples who use the product, and a commercial relationship cannot change what this page says, when it was last reviewed, whether it is flagged as out of date, or whether it stays in search results.
Corrections
Report a correction using the form below, support@togetherward.app or use the support page.