The September 2023 Visa Bulletin has been released – the last visa bulletin of the 2023 fiscal year. When nearing the end of the fiscal year, movement in the visa bulletin is typically minimal due to reaching number use limits. Luckily, there were no retrogressions in priority dates for this month’s visa bulletin, although retrogression was expected due to the higher-than-ever demand for both family-based and employment-based visas throughout the fiscal year. Slight movement is observed for both the family-based and employment-based categories, although India remained stagnant in all employment-based categories.
Let’s take a closer look at the priority date changes in the 2023 September Visa Bulletin.
September 2023 Visa Bulletin Results
Here are the results of the September 2023 Visa Bulletin and the prority date changes for both family and employment-based categories.
Family-based
Final Action Date
- F2A advances for ROW, China, India, and Philippines + 2 months and 24 days
Date of Filing Application
- F2A advances for ROW, China, India, and Philippines + 1 month
Employment-based
Final Action Date
- EB2 advances for ROW, Mexico, and Philippines + 3 months
- EB3 advances for China + 3 months
Date of Filing Application
- EB2 advances for China + 2 months
Employment-based Visas Near Annual Limit
The USCIS and Department of State report that due to steady number use in the employment-based visa category throughout fiscal year 2023, most employment-based preference category limits and/or the overall limit are expected to be reached during September 2023. If an annual limit is reached, it will be deemed unavailable and no further requests would be accepted.
State Department Releases Numerical Limit for FY 2023
Each fiscal year, the State Department determines the numerical limit on immigrants under the requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Those numbers are as follows:
- Family-based preference limit – 226,000
- Employment-based preference limit – 197,091
The per-country limit at 7% equates to 29,616 based on these figures.
2024 Diversity Visa Results
The State Department has released the results of the FY 2024 Diversity Visa lottery, and an astonishing 22,185,619 entries were received during the 35-day open registration period from October 5, 2022 through November 8, 2022. Out of all eligible registrations, approximately 143,000 applicants were selected to move forward with submitting a visa application. The number of visas actually available for this program each year is 55,000, although the State Department and USCIS select more applicants than number use to account for those who may not move forward with applying or may not be eligible afterall.
Top DV countries for 2024 include:
- Algeria – 5,142
- Egypt – 5,509
- Morocco – 4,250
- Afghanistan – 4,536
- Ukraine – 4,286
- Uzbekistan – 5,555
- Kyrgyzstan – 4,464
If selected in the 2024 Diversity Visa lottery, you must complete your application process as soon as possible. Once the total 55,000 visa numbers have been used, the program for the 2024 fiscal year will end. If you were selected and do not receive a visa or status by September 30, 2024, you will no longer benefit from your registration.
Dates for the 2025 Diversity Visa program registration period will be announced soon on the Department of State’s Diversity Visa website.
October 2023 Visa Bulletin Predictions
The October 2023 Visa Bulletin will be much anticipated as it is the first visa bulletin for the new 2024 fiscal year. Number use limits will be reset, and priority dates will likely adjust accordingly. There are quite a few changes we can expect to see including the following:
- India EB1 will advance back to the final action date of the July 2023 Visa Bulletin, February 1, 2022
- EB1 for ROW, Mexico, and the Philippines will return back to “Current” status
- India EB3 will advance based on annual limit and demand, likely by 2-3 months*
*Note
The State Department reports that the annual limit for employment-based visas is currently projected to be substantially lower in FY 2024 than in FY 2023.
Check back soon for our in-depth predictions of the October 2023 Visa Bulletin! Also, head over to Trackitt to discuss your thoughts on the September 2023 Visa Bulletin.
To view the September 2023 Visa Bulletin, visit the U.S. Department of State website.
