What Does the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) Do?

The Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) is a centralized processing facility for petition-based nonimmigrant visa programs and for the Diversity Visa program (also known as “green card lottery”).  Located in Williamsburg, Kentucky, KCC serves a variety of important functions affecting many visa applicants and foreign nationals who are selected under the Diversity Visa lotttery.  There are 300 employees, of which 97% are under private contracts.

Processing Statistics

For the Diversity Visa program, KCC processes approximately 100,000 selectees every year to ensure that all of the 55,000 allocated immigrant visa numbers are properly allocated.  KCC also receives 12,000 I-129 nonimmigrant visa petitions each week from USCIS and processes them for U.S. consular posts around the world.

Fraud Prevention Unit (FPU)

As part of its processing tasks, KCC houses the Fraud Prevention Unit which creates base files for petitioners and researches petitioner information in connection with visa stamp applications.   The purpose of the FPU is to allow the government to research the petitioner in more depth from within the U.S.  Often a U.S. consular post is not able (logistically or otherwise) to do proper petitioner research; as a result, the FPU allows such petitioner research or verification tasks to be conducted from within the U.S.

As part of its duties, the FPU could contact the petitioner directly to ask questions, or if an end-client is involved in the employment arrangement (such as with many IT consulting companies), the FPU could contact the end-client directly. The FPU researchers will identify themselves – they do not make pretext calls to gain information.    The researcher creates a memo regarding the information obtained, which is entered into the FPU database. Normally there is no need to research the same petitioner multiple times, in the absence of some particular need to do so.

The trigger for FPU review is either random (reportedly about 1% of all records) or upon specific request by a consular post.   Normally, electronic records are created from I-129 records for all petitioners whose petitions are processed by KCC.   All petitioners are verified and minimum research is conducted to verify the petitioner’s existence.  A more in-depth petitioner existence review is conducted randomly or upon consular post request.

Training in the FPU is category-specific. Researchers are trained on industries, company size and other factors. Agents in the FPU receive an overiew of all petition-based NIV categories;  however, they normally specialize regionally. Currently, there are two teams-India and Global (all non-Indian posts).

Petition Information Management Service (PIMS)

The PIMS system allows consular posts to obtain petition information in connection with visa applications (most often by the beneficiary of the petition).   KCC acts as the central processing facility of petitions processed by USCIS.  Normally, USCIS sends petitions to KCC’s PIMS systemwhich are then scanned and made available to consulates around the world in the PIMS system.

In the normal course of processing, KCC receives boxes of files from USCIS and electronically tracks them based on the USCIS barcodes on the files as they are received. I-129 petitions are scanned, 55 fields are entered for data capture, a petitioner is assigned, a quality control check is conducted, and then the hard copy is shredded.

KCC reports that it has processed 65,000 consular PIMS inquiries in FY2009 and 48,000 in FY2010. For the vast majority of these inquiries, sufficient information is in CLAIMS for KCC to update PIMS within 24 hours.  KCC’s PIMS processing completion target times for entry into the system are: COB the next day for “expedited petitions” (which do not necessarily include premium processing), 3 working days for O, P, T and U petitions, 5 working days for other petitions and for revocation/CIS notices, and 10 working days for any other extension or change of status petitions.  The processing time for USCIS affirmations of petitions returned by the consulate with a revocation recommendation is within 5 days.