Does anyone have any experience with the step between the Nebraska Servicing Center (NSC) and the consulate abroad? I've just discovered that all fiance(e) visa applications are sent to the National Visa Center (NVC) in New Hampshire after they've already been approved by the original servicing center. My letter from the NSC says that it usually takes 2 to 4 weeks for the NVC to process the application before sending it on to the consulate for the interview. However, I called the NVC and they mentioned that there is another hidden step: the applications have to get a security clearance from Washington, D.C. before being sent on to the consulates. The NVC said that it takes them 2 to 4 weeks or more just to "receive" the approved petition, and they were completely unwilling to say how long it would take them to process it and send it on once they had "received" it. Does anyone have any experience with how long these additional steps might take? How long from the day you receive your "approval notice" from the original servicing center before the visa application actually leaves the U.S. bound for the consulate?