When the Department of State's public charge rule went into effect on February 24, 2020, Form I-864W was eliminated from U.S. government use. Those applicants who were previously required to file form I-864W were no longer required to do so, and as such, were not required to pay the affidavit of support fee to NVC.  On March 19, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security reinstated Form I-864W, so applicants to whom this form applies should download a copy at https://www.uscis.gov/i-864w and upload the completed form to CEAC as part of their IV application or bring the completed form to the interview with the consular officer.  Individuals who were not required to submit an affidavit of support between February 24, 2020 and March 19, 2021 but who paid the affidavit of support fee on or after February 24, 2020 and before March 19, 2021, may be eligible for a refund of that fee.

You may request a refund of the affidavit of support fee, if:

• You paid an affidavit of support fee to NVC for a fee bill between February 24, 2020 and March 19, 2021 and
  
  
• That fee bill was issued for an immigrant visa case you (a U.S. citizen) are sponsoring for your biological or adopted child (visa class CR2 or IR2) who is under 18 or was on the date the fee bill was issued or
  
  
• You are claiming that the beneficiary of your immigrant visa petition earned or can be credited with 40 quarters of qualifying employment under the Social Security Act.

Review the requirements for an applicant to benefit from the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 or the 40 quarters of qualifying employment under the Social Security Act exemption to determine whether you may qualify for a refund.

How to request a refund of the affidavit of support fee

Complete the online inquiry form for NVC at https://nvc.state.gov/inquiry with the following information:

• Your NVC case number*
  
  
• Principal applicant's name and date of birth*
  
  
• Petitioner's name*

Note: The fields with asterisks* are required fields for submitting the NVC inquiry form. You do not need to repeat that information in the body of the inquiry.

All refund requests must be received by NVC before close of business on July 30, 2021.

How long will it take to process my refund request?

Please allow up to twelve weeks for your refund to be processed.

IMPORTANT NOTE: We consider refund requests on a case-by-case basis to ensure that the claim qualifies for a refund.