A recent notification on the Consular Electronic Application Center’s (CEAC) website indicates that technical specialists are currently working on the Department of State’s consular systems. During this time, some applicants may face difficulties reaching the system and should wait 24 hours before trying to reach both https://ceac.state.gov and http://nvc.state.gov. This notification also indicates that there could be heavy traffic on the CEAC website for next several days while trying to complete the DS forms and pay the immigrant visa fees online. 

We will continue to monitor this and keep our readers informed. In the meantime, applicants should plan in advance to ensure timely submission of visa application forms for both immigrant and non-immigrant visas and payment of immigrant fees.

The official Notice is replicated here for the information and benefit of our readers:

Important Notice:

Technical specialists are continuing to work on the Department of State’s consular systems. While most applicants are now able to access this site, those who are still having difficulty should wait at least 24 hours before trying again and visit http://nvc.state.gov/ for instructions. We expect there could be heavy traffic on CEAC over the next several days as applicants attempt to submit their forms and pay their fees online. Thank you for your patience as the Department continues to resolve recent technical problems with our consular systems.