State Department exhausts 2023 Diversity Visa issuance

The U.S. State Department announced it has issued all available Diversity Visas for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.

Key Points:

• Diversity Visa issuances are capped at 55,000 per year. In announcing that it had issued all available visas, the State Department acknowledged that “the early conclusion of the 2023 program may be disappointing to selectees who were unable to receive a visa.”
• The department encouraged “all who are eligible” to apply when the 2025 Diversity Visa program entry period opens in October.

Background: Since its launch in 1990, the DV program has given nationals of countries with low immigration rates to the United States an opportunity to apply for a U.S. immigration visa. The program allows for the issuance of up to 55,000 visas per fiscal year. Under U.S. immigration law, no single country may receive more than 7% of available visas in any one year. More information is available here.

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This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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