travel.state.gov APItravel.state.gov ↗
Get current U.S. National Visa Center processing timeframes via API: case file creation, case review, and Public Inquiry Form response times, updated weekly.
No input parameters required.
curl -X GET 'https://api.parse.bot/scraper/98633553-78ac-4f4b-83e9-e03dc403acca/get_nvc_timeframes' \ -H 'X-API-Key: $PARSE_API_KEY'
Returns the current NVC processing timeframes: case file creation time, case review time, and Public Inquiry Form response time. Each timeframe includes the 'as of' date and the date of cases/documents/inquiries currently being processed. Data is updated weekly by the State Department.
No input parameters required.
{
"type": "object",
"fields": {
"case_review_time": "object containing full_text, as_of_date, and activity_date for case review",
"case_file_creation_time": "object containing full_text, as_of_date, and activity_date for case creation",
"public_inquiry_form_response_time": "object containing full_text, as_of_date, and activity_date for inquiry responses"
},
"sample": {
"case_review_time": {
"full_text": "Current case review time: As of 8-Jun-26, we are reviewing documents submitted to us on 11-May-26.",
"as_of_date": "8-Jun-26",
"activity_date": "11-May-26"
},
"case_file_creation_time": {
"full_text": "Current case creation time frame: As of 8-Jun-26, we are working on cases that were received from USCIS on 18-May-26.",
"as_of_date": "8-Jun-26",
"activity_date": "18-May-26"
},
"public_inquiry_form_response_time": {
"full_text": "Current Public Inquiry Form response time: As of 8-Jun-26, we are responding to inquiries received on 31-May-26.",
"as_of_date": "8-Jun-26",
"activity_date": "31-May-26"
}
}
}About the travel.state.gov API
The travel.state.gov NVC Timeframes API exposes 1 endpoint — get_nvc_timeframes — returning 3 structured processing-time objects from the U.S. Department of State National Visa Center. Each object includes an as_of_date, an activity_date indicating which cases are currently being processed, and a full_text field matching the official published wording. Data reflects the State Department's weekly updates to the NVC Timeframes page.
What the API Returns
The single get_nvc_timeframes endpoint takes no input parameters and returns three objects: case_file_creation_time, case_review_time, and public_inquiry_form_response_time. Each object carries the same three fields: full_text (the verbatim text published by the NVC), as_of_date (when that timeframe was last updated), and activity_date (the date of cases or inquiries currently being worked).
Field Details
case_file_creation_time reflects how long the NVC is currently taking to open a new immigrant visa case after it receives an approved petition. case_review_time shows the date of documents currently under review for completeness. public_inquiry_form_response_time shows how old submitted inquiries are when the NVC responds to them. The activity_date in each object is the most actionable field — it tells you concretely how far behind the NVC is at the moment of the weekly update.
Update Cadence and Coverage
The State Department updates the NVC Timeframes page weekly. Because this API reflects that published data, the maximum freshness of any response is approximately seven days. The endpoint covers only NVC processing stages; it does not include post-NVC steps such as consular interview scheduling or visa issuance timelines at individual embassies.
- Alert immigration attorneys when
activity_datefor case review falls behind a client's submission date - Track weekly changes in
case_file_creation_timeto build a historical backlog trend chart - Notify petitioners automatically when
public_inquiry_form_response_timeexceeds a threshold they set - Display current NVC wait times inside an immigration case management dashboard
- Compare
as_of_datevalues across weeks to detect when the State Department skips or delays its update - Feed NVC timeframe data into a visa timeline estimator alongside priority date bulletin data
| Tier | Price | Credits/month | Rate limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 100 | 5 req/min |
| Hobby | $30/mo | 1,000 | 20 req/min |
| Developer | $100/mo | 5,000 | 250 req/min |
One credit = one API call regardless of which marketplace API you call. Exceeding the rate limit returns a 429 response. Authenticate with the X-API-Key header.
Does the U.S. Department of State offer an official developer API for NVC timeframe data?+
What exactly does the `activity_date` field represent versus `as_of_date`?+
as_of_date is the date the NVC last updated that particular timeframe — i.e., when the published figure was current. activity_date is the date of the cases, documents, or inquiries the NVC is actively processing at that moment. For most practical uses, activity_date is the figure to compare against a petitioner's own submission date.How fresh is the data returned by `get_nvc_timeframes`?+
as_of_date field in each object tells you exactly when the last update occurred, so you can determine the age of the data at the time of your API call. There is no intra-week refresh.