In May, The NVC  started a new pilot program of electronically processing visa petitions.  Under this program all documents related to a case will be sent to Guangzhou electronically, rather than by mail. This should greatly improve the speed and efficiency of visa processing by avoiding delays due to postal service delivery.

The electronic processing option is available only for the U.S. Consulate Guangzhou, China and will initially be available only to immediate relatives of U.S. citizens over the age of 21 years (visa categories IR-1, IR-2, CR-1, CR-2, and IR-5). Unfortunately, the new process does not currently include K-1 fiance(e)s. Chinese fiancees will still need to submit paperwork to the U. S. Consulate General prior to their interview.

Hopefully they’ll incorporate the electronic processing soon for the K-1s as it looks to significantly speed up waiting times. Kudos to the NVC for its efforts to streamline the process.