September 2024 Visa Bulletin

The September 2024 Visa Bulletin was released. The final action date for all areas except for India, China, Mexico, and the Philippines regressed 365 days to December 1, 2020.

Commentary:

September 2024

Final Action Dates Update

For all countries except India, China, Philippines, and Mexico: F1 category remains at October 22, 2022; F2A category remains at November 15, 2021, F2B remains at May 1, 2016, F4 category remains at August 1, 2007; EB1 remains Current; EB2 remains at March 15, 2023; and EB3 regresses 365 days to December 1, 2020.

For India only: F2A category remains at November 15, 2021, F2B category remains at May 1, 2016; F4 remains at January 22, 2006; EB1 remains at February 01, 2022; EB2 remains at July 12, 2012; EB3 remains at October 22, 2012; All EB5 visas are current except for Unreserved which remains at December 15, 2015.

For China only: EB1 remains at November 1, 2022; EB2 remains at March 1, 2020; EB3 remains at September 01, 2020; All EB5 visas are current except for the Unreserved (I5 and R5) which remains at December 15, 2015.

Vietnam is not individually listed and should use all countries category.

Can file your immigrant applications if PD before: 

F2A remains at June 15, 2024 for All Areas; F2B remains at January 01 2017 for All Areas Except Those Listed, China, and India. Mexico remains at May 01, 2005, and the Philippines remains at October 01, 2013; F4 remains at March 01 2008 for All Areas and China, and India remains at June 15, 2006 Mexico remains at April 30, 2001, and the Philippines remains at April 1, 2006.

EB-1 PDs remain current for all areas, including Mexico and the Philippines, except for China and India. China's EB-1 remains at January 01, 2023. India's EB-1 remains at February 8, 2022; EB-2 PDs remain at March 22, 2023, for All Areas except for India and China. EB-2 India remains at July 22, 2012; EB-2 China remains at June 01, 2020; EB-3 PDs remain at February 01 2023 for All Areas, except for the Philippines, India, and China. The Philippines remains at January 01, 2023; EB-3 India remains at November 1, 2012; EB-3 China remains at July 01, 2021; EB-5 China (C5, T5, I5, R5) remains at January 01, 2017; All other EB-5 China remain Current; Vietnam is not individually listed and should use the all countries category.

B.  DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT (DV) CATEGORY FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER

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.  Visa numbers made available to NACARA applicants in FY 2023 will result in reduction of the DV-2024 annual limit to 54,843.  Section 5104 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 amended the NACARA’s provisions on the Diversity Visa program such that the number of visas made available under the NDAA will be deducted from the 55,000 DVs annually allocated.  These amendments will not impact the number of diversity visas available until FY 2025.  DVs are divided among six geographic regions. No one country can receive more than seven percent of the available diversity visas in any one year.

For September, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2024 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible countries as follows. 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:

RegionAll DV Chargeability Areas Except
Those Listed Separately 

AFRICA

Current

Except:  Algeria    108,500
              Egypt        57,000
              Morocco   70,000

ASIA

27,500

Except:  Iran     22,000
              Nepal  13,000

EUROPE

50,000

Except:  Russia           49,500
               Uzbekistan    17,000

NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS) 

Current

OCEANIA

2,700

SOUTH AMERICA,
and the CARIBBEAN

5,000

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-2024 program ends as of September 30, 2024. DV visas may not be issued to DV-2024 applicants after that date. Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV-2024 principals are only entitled to derivative DV status until September 30, 2024. DV visa availability through the very end of FY-2024 cannot be taken for granted. Numbers could be exhausted prior to September 30.

C.  THE DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT (DV) CATEGORY RANK CUT-OFFS WHICH WILL APPLY IN OCTOBER

For October, immigrant numbers in the DV category are available to qualified DV-2025 applicants chargeable to all regions/eligible countries as follows. 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:

RegionAll DV Chargeability Areas Except
Those Listed Separately 

AFRICA

15,000

Except: Algeria    6,500
              Egypt       8,250
              Morocco  8,250

ASIA

3,000

Except:  Iran       2,950
              Nepal    2,950

EUROPE

6,000

Except:  Russia           5,950
              Uzbekistan    4,900

NORTH AMERICA (BAHAMAS) 

2

OCEANIA

500

SOUTH AMERICA,
and the CARIBBEAN

825

D.  AVAILABILITY OF EMPLOYMENT-BASED VISAS DURING SEPTEMBER

There has been a steady increase in both USCIS and Department of State demand patterns for employment-based visas during the fiscal year. As a result, most employment-based preference category limits for FY 2024 are expected to be reached during September, if not sooner. If at any time an annual limit were reached, it would be necessary to immediately make the preference category “unavailable”, and no further requests for numbers would be honored. 

E.  RETROTRESSION IN THE EMPLOYMENT-BASED THIRD PREFERENCE (EB-3) AND “OTHER WORKERS” (EW) CATEGORIES

As readers were informed was possible in Item D of the July 2024 and August 2024 Visa Bulletin, it has become necessary to retrogress the EB-3 final action dates for Rest of World, Mexico, and the Philippines, as well as the EW final action dates for Rest of World and Mexico.  The issuance totals in these categories are rapidly approaching the annual limit for FY-2024, necessitating this slowdown of issuance rates.  It is anticipated that the final action dates will advance in October 2024; however, date movement will depend on worldwide demand for EB-3 and EW visas and the estimated FY-2025 category limit.

F.  DIVERSITY VISA LOTTERY 2025 (DV-2025) RESULTS

The Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky has registered and notified the selectees who are eligible to participate in the DV-2025 Diversity Visa (DV) program.  Random selection of DV participants was conducted under the terms of section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which makes up to *55,000 permanent resident visas available annually to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.  Approximately 131,060 prospective applicants (i.e., selectees and their spouses and children) have been registered, can confirm their selection, and may be eligible to make an application for an immigrant visa. Since selection is random and blind to the number of family members who might immigrate with the selectee, and it is likely that some of the selectees will not complete their cases or will be found ineligible for a visa, this larger figure should ensure that all DV-2025 numbers can be used during fiscal year 2025 (FY25: October 1, 2024, until September 30, 2025).

Entrants registered for the DV-2025 program were selected at random from 19,927,656 qualified entries received during the 35-day application period that ran from noon, Eastern Daylight Time on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, until noon, Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.  The visas will be apportioned among the six geographic regions to ensure a maximum of seven percent are issued to persons chargeable to any single country.  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.  Applicants should follow the instructions in their notification letter and must fully complete all required steps.

Selectees who are physically present with legal status in the United States may apply to adjust their status by first contacting the 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 2025 will end.  Selectees who do not receive visas or status by September 30, 2025, will derive no further benefit from their DV-2025 registration.  Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV-2025 principal applicants are only entitled to derivative DV status until September 30, 2025.

Dates for the DV-2026 program registration period will be widely publicized in the coming months.  Those interested in entering the DV-2026 program should check the Department of State’s Diversity 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.  This will result in reduction of the DV-2025 annual limit to approximately 54,850.  Additionally, Section 5104 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 amended the NACARA’s provisions on the Diversity Visa program such that the number of visas made available under the NDAA will also be deducted from the 55,000 DVs annually allocated.  This will result in an additional reduction of the DV-2025 annual limit to approximately 51,350.

The following is the statistical breakdown by foreign state of chargeability of those registered for the DV-2025 program:

AFRICA

ALGERIA  5,526

ESWATINI  6

NAMIBIA 5

ANGOLA  738

ETHIOPIA  3,674

NIGER  70

BENIN  1,032

GABON  81

RWANDA  1,385

BOTSWANA  7

GAMBIA, THE  159

SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE  3

BURKINA FASO 262

GHANA  2,686

SENEGAL  656

BURUNDI  773

GUINEA  1,291

SIERRA LEONE  957

CABO VERDE  52

GUINEA-BISSAU  12

SOMALIA  966

CAMEROON  3,962

KENYA  4,459

SOUTH AFRICA  163

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC  29

LESOTHO  10

SOUTH SUDAN  32

CHAD  419

LIBERIA  2,004

SUDAN  5,505

COMOROS  4

LIBYA  192

TANZANIA  371

CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE  2,729

MADAGASCAR  35

TOGO  2,287

CONGO, REPUBLIC OF THE  513

MALAWI  61

TUNISIA  96

COTE D’IVOIRE  883

MALI  167

UGANDA  1,061

DJIBOUTI  132

MAURITANIA  228

ZAMBIA  118

EGYPT  5,515

MAURITIUS  2

ZIMBABWE  210

EQUATORIAL GUINEA  24

MOROCCO  4,237

ERITREA  142

MOZAMBIQUE  11

ASIA

AFGHANISTAN  4,009

JORDAN  775

SAUDI ARABIA  420

BAHRAIN  4

KOREA, NORTH  1

SINGAPORE  11

BHUTAN  269

KUWAIT  105

SRI LANKA 1,618

BURMA  1,723

LAOS  63

SYRIA  431

CAMBODIA  457

LEBANON  115

TAIWAN  227

INDONESIA  193

MALAYSIA  34

THAILAND  405

IRAN  5,267

MONGOLIA  174

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES  153

IRAQ  667

NEPAL  3,861

YEMEN  1,894

ISRAEL  104

OMAN  13

JAPAN  149

QATAR  56

EUROPE

ALBANIA  1,598

GEORGIA 1,342

NORTH MACEDONIA  188

ANDORRA  3

GERMANY 479

NORTHERN IRELAND  6

ARMENIA  2,971

GREECE  37

NORWAY  7

AUSTRIA  51

HUNGARY  97

POLAND  309

AZERBAIJAN  1,730

ICELAND  5

PORTUGAL  38

BELARUS  1,577

IRELAND  29

  Macau  6

BELGIUM  49

ITALY  263

ROMANIA  199

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA  35

KAZAKHSTAN  2,004

RUSSIA  5,519

BULGARIA  107

KOSOVO  260

SERBIA  154

CROATIA  7

KYRGYZSTAN  3,095

SLOVAKIA 26

CYPRUS  14

LATVIA  43

SLOVENIA  3

CZECH REPUBLIC  28

LIECHTENSTEIN  1

SPAIN  142

DENMARK  28

LITHUANIA  89

SWEDEN  49

  Faroe Islands  1

LUXEMBOURG  4

SWITZERLAND  42

  Greenland  1

MALTA  3

TAJIKISTAN  2,982

ESTONIA  23

MOLDOVA  1,413

TURKEY  4,194

FINLAND  18

MONTENEGRO  38

TURKMENISTAN  2,010

FRANCE  275

NETHERLANDS  34

UKRAINE  4,002

  French Polynesia  2

  Aruba  1

UZBEKISTAN 5,564

  Saint Barthelemy  2

NORTH AMERICA

BAHAMAS, THE  19

OCEANIA

AUSTRALIA  894

NAURU  17

SAMOA  16

  Christmas Island  1

NEW ZEALAND  302

SOLOMON ISLANDS  15

  Cocos (Keeling) Islands  53

  Tokelau  15

TONGA  266

COOK ISLANDS 27

NIUE  1

TUVALU  4

FIJI  2,359

PAPUA NEW GUINEA  22

VANUATU  5

KIRIBATI  32

REPUBLIC OF PALAU  24

SOUTH AMERICA

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA  5

DOMINICA  4

PARAGUAY  20

ARGENTINA  130

ECUADOR  795

PERU  657

BARBADOS  4

GRENADA  1

SAINT LUCIA  6

BELIZE  1

GUATEMALA  230

SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES  7

BOLIVIA  102

GUYANA 18

SURINAME  6

CHILE  61

NICARAGUA  86

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO  40

COSTA RICA  72

PANAMA  29

URUGUAY  29

CUBA  2,348

Natives of the following countries were not eligible to participate in DV-2025: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

G.  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 reasonable estimates of the anticipated amount of visa numbers to be available under the annual limits, in accordance with Section 203(g) of the INA.  On July 19th, USCIS provided the required data to the VO.

The Department of State has determined the Family and Employment preference numerical limits for FY-2024 in accordance with the terms of Section 201 of the INA.  These numerical limitations for FY-2024 are as follows:

Worldwide Family-Sponsored preference limit:          226,000
Worldwide Employment-Based preference limit:        160,791

Under INA Section 202(a)(2), the per-country limit is fixed at 7% of the combined total family and employment annual limits.  For FY-2024 the per-country limit is therefore 27,075.  The dependent area annual limit is 2%, or 7,736.  Note that these figures do not account for carryover provisions in accordance with INA 203(b)(5)(B).  With these carryover visa numbers included, the per-country limit is 27,837 and the dependent area limit is 7,953.

H.  U.S. GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISAS (SIVs)

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024, signed into law on December 22, 2023, may affect certain current and former employees of the U.S. Government abroad applying for SIVs or adjustment of status, as described in section 101(a)(27)(D) of the INA.  This does not affect certain Iraqis and Afghans applying for SQ and SI SIVs.  Applicants should contact the consular section at which they filed their Form DS‑1884 for further information on the impact of that law on their case.

I.  FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON VISA PROCESSING AT U.S. EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES, PLEASE VISIT THE BUREAU OF CONSULAR AFFAIRS WEBSITE AT TRAVEL.STATE.GOV

Department of State Publication 9514

CA/VO: August 2, 2024