This article was prepared with the assistance of ABIL, the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers, of which Loan Huynh, Fredrikson Immigration Department Chair, is a member.
The Department of State's (DOS) Visa Bulletin for September includes Diversity Visa 2024 (DV-2024) lottery results, availability of employment-based visas during September and determination of the numerical limit on immigrants for fiscal year (FY) 2023.
Diversity Visa Lottery Results
The bulletin notes that the Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky, has registered and notified the selectees who are eligible to participate in the DV-2024 program. Entrants registered for the DV-2024 program were selected at random from 22,185,619 qualified entries. The selectee numbers for each country are listed in the bulletin.
During the visa interview, principal applicants must provide proof of a high school education or its equivalent, or two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience within the past five years. "Those selected will need to act on their immigrant visa applications quickly," the bulletin advises. Approximately 143,000 prospective applicants (selectees and their spouses and children) have been registered. Once the total 55,000 visa numbers have been used, the program for fiscal year 2024 will end. Selectees who do not receive visas or status by September 30, 2024, will derive no further benefit from their DV-2024 registration.
DOS said that the dates for the DV-2025 program registration period will be widely publicized in the coming months.
Availability of Employment-Based Visas
The bulletin explains that the employment-based number used by both U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and DOS has been steady during this fiscal year. As a result, most employment-based preference category limits and/or the overall employment-based preference limit for FY 2023 are expected to be reached during September. If the annual limit is reached, the preference category will immediately become unavailable.
Determination of Numerical Limit on Immigrants
DOS has determined that the employment preference numerical limit for FY 2023 is 197,091. For FY 2023, the per-country limit is 29,616. The dependent area annual limit is 2%, or 8,462.
