The National Visa Center (NVC) under the Department of State observed a decline in the immigrant visa (IV) backlog, decreasing from 304,773 in November to 292,105 in December, reflecting a 4% reduction.

The count of green card applicants with cases deemed documentarily complete and prepared for interview scheduling also decreased from 341,392 in November to 337,870, marking a 1% decrease. A “documentarily complete” case indicates that all necessary forms and documents have been submitted and accepted by the NVC, making the case ready for interview scheduling.

Additionally, the number of individuals scheduled for green card interviews experienced an uptick, with 45,765 interviews in December compared to 36,619 in November.