Visa Bulletin For March 2023

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D.1.  REPORTING CHANGES OF ADDRESS FOR CASES BEING PROCESSED OVERSEAS

All readers should be aware that any change of address or email for applicants processing their case overseas should always be reported to the National Visa Center (NVC). It is essential that NVC have the correct address and email so they can send information regarding the processing of the case to the applicant.

When contacting NVC directly about an immigrant visa petition, always include the following information:

• NVC case number or USCIS receipt number
• Principal applicant’s name
• Principal applicant's date of birth
• Petitioner’s name

CEAC (Consular Electronic Application Center) 
Email addresses can be added or updated by logging into your CEAC portal at https://state.gov/.

Email 
For updates to your physical address or for other questions, you may email NVC by using the online Public Inquiry Form located at: https://state.gov/inquiry..

Customer Service Representatives can speak with you Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to Midnight (Eastern Time), excluding holidays..

E.  DIVERSITY VISA LOTTERY 2022 (DV-2024) RESULTS

The Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky has registered and notified the winners of the DV-2024 diversity lottery.  The diversity lottery was conducted under the terms of section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and makes available *55,000 permanent resident visas annually to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.  Approximately 158,204 applicants have been registered and notified and may now make an application for an immigrant visa. Since it is likely that some of the first *55,000 persons registered will not pursue their cases to visa issuance, this larger figure should insure that all DV-2024 numbers will be used during fiscal year 2023 (October 1, 2023 until September 30, 2023).

Applicants registered for the DV-2024 program were selected at random from 6,755,120 qualified entries (11,470,501 with derivatives) received during the 35-day application period that ran from noon, Eastern Daylight Time on October 7, 2022, until noon, Eastern Daylight Time on Wednesday, November 10, 2022.  The visas have been apportioned among six geographic regions with a maximum of seven percent available to persons born in any single country.  During the visa interview, principal applicants must provide proof of a high school education or its equivalent, or show 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.  Applicants should follow the instructions in their notification letter and must fully complete the information requested.

Registrants living legally in the United States who wish to apply for adjustment of their status must contact U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for information on the requirements and procedures.  Once the total *55,000 visa numbers have been used, the program for fiscal year 2023 will end.  Selected applicants who do not receive visas by September 30, 2023 will derive no further benefit from their DV-2024 registration.  Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV-2024 principal applicants are only entitled to derivative diversity visa status until September 30, 2023.

Dates for the DV-2024 program registration period will be widely publicized in the coming months.  Those interested in entering the DV-2024 program should check the Department of State’s Visa web page in the coming months.

*The Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) passed by Congress in November 1997 stipulated that up to 5,000 of the 55,000 annually-allocated diversity visas be made available for use under the NACARA program.  The reduction of the limit of available visas to 50,000 began with DV-2000. This will result in reduction of the DV-2024 annual limit to approximately 54,750.

Natives of the following countries were not eligible to participate in DV-2024: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam. 

F.  DETERMINATION OF THE NUMERICAL LIMITS ON IMMIGRANTS REQUIRED UNDER THE TERMS OF THE IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT (INA)

The State Department is required to make the determination of the worldwide numerical limitations, as outlined in Section 201(c) and (d) of the INA, on an annual basis.  These calculations are based in part on data provided by U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) regarding the number of immediate relative adjustments in the preceding year and the number of aliens paroled into the United States under Section 212(d)(5) in the second preceding year.  Without this information, it is impossible to make an official determination of the annual limits.  To avoid delays in processing while waiting for the USCIS data, the Visa Office (VO) bases allocations on the minimum annual limits outlined in Section 201 of the INA.  On July 31st, USCIS provided the required data to VO.

The Department of State has determined the Family and Employment preference numerical limits for FY-2023 in accordance with the terms of Section 201 of the INA.  These numerical limitations for FY-2023 are as follows:

Worldwide Family-Sponsored preference limit: 230,000
Worldwide Employment-Based preference limit: 148,253

Under INA Section 202(a), the per-country limit is fixed at 7% of the family and employment annual limits.  For FY-2023 the per-country limit is 26,758.  The dependent area annual limit is 2%, or 7,645.