The U.S. Department of State released its Visa Bulletin for June 2023. That’s a big deal if you’re waiting for your priority date to be current so that your green card application can move forward.
Section 203(c) of the INA provides up to 55,000 immigrant visas each fiscal year to permit additional immigration opportunities for persons from countries with low admissions during the previous five years. The NACARA stipulates that beginning with DV-99, and for as long as necessary, up to 5,000 of the 55,000 annually allocated diversity visas will be made available for use under the NACARA program. This will result in reduction of the diversity visa annual limit to approximately 54,850. DV visas are divided among six geographic regions. No one country can receive more than seven percent of the available diversity visas in any one year.
When an allocation cut-off number is shown, visas are available only for applicants with DV regional lottery rank numbers BELOW the specified allocation cut-off number:
| Region | All DV Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed Separately | |
|---|---|---|
| AFRICA | 63,500 | Except: Algeria 40,000 Egypt 43,200 Morocco 63,000 |
| ASIA | 21,000 | Except: Iran 12,500 Nepal 19,400 |
| EUROPE | 32,000 | Except: Russia 32,000 Uzbekistan 15,000 |
| NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS) | Current | |
| OCEANIA | 1,650 | |
| SOUTH AMERICA, and the CARIBBEAN | 2,900 |
Entitlement to immigrant status in the DV category lasts only through the end of the fiscal (visa) year for which the applicant is selected in the lottery. The year of entitlement for all applicants registered for the DV-2023 program ends as of September 30, 2023. DV visas may not be issued to Diversity Visa applicants after that date. Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV principals are only entitled to derivative DV status until September 30. DV visa availability through the very end of FY cannot be taken for granted. Numbers could be exhausted prior to September 30.
