Q. I have a question about my immigrant visa petition, and the US Embassy directed me to contact the National Visa Center. Why can’t the embassy answer my question?

A: The immigrant visa process is handled by three different organisations. The first is US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which oversees immigration to the United States and approves or denies immigrant petitions.

After a petition is approved by USCIS, the National Visa Center (NVC) assists petitioners and applicants in preparing their immigrant visa application for interview.

Once an application is ready for interview, NVC provides the case to the appropriate US Embassy or consulate. For Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, that is the US Embassy in Kingston, where applicants will apply and be interviewed for their immigrant visas.

Embassy Kingston is able to assist with questions regarding cases once the case has been provided to us by NVC. Prior to the embassy in Kingston receiving a case, questions from applicants must be addressed to either NVC or USCIS — depending on where in the process an immigrant visa petition is.

Learn about and contact USCIS at www.ucsis.gov.

Learn about and contact NVC at nvc.state.gov.

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