Visa Bulletin For October 2024 Published!
News, but not new!
The Visa Bulletin for October 2024 has been published, showing the cut-off numbers that will apply in November. However, the cut-off numbers in question are not new. They are exactly the same as those that were published last month – for October.
This is the second time that ALL the Diversity Visa cut-off numbers for a given month have been repeated in the Visa Bulletin. The first instance was at this same time two years ago, after unexpected high increases had been applied to the cut-offs during the previous month.
Error or Not?
When that happened in 2022, some were led to thinking that the repeat of the cut-offs may have been an error on the part of the State Department. But as we had pointed out then, it couldn’t!
On the contrary, it was meant to ‘correct’ the high cut-offs that had been established a month earlier that year. Now the same situation has re-occurred two years on. And as was the case in 2022, it is not an error; the Visa Bulletin published is the real (official) one!
Why it happened
As was mentioned above, in 2022 the cut-off numbers had been established very high in August. The same was the case last month when the first DV 2025 cut-off numbers were released – which is the more likely reason for the repeat in the cut-offs that was just experienced.
A less likely reason for this may have been technical issues experienced on the official Entrant Status Check website which resulted in notifications concerning some interviews scheduled for October not being relayed to the applicants concerned, as well as a very low level of interview scheduling.
October/November Cut-Offs
Below are the cut-off numbers in question: those that will apply in the DV 2025 Program during both the months of October and November 2024:
What it means
Whatever the reason is, maintaining the October cut-off numbers for November means that case numbers that were eligible for October interviews are the same that are for November interviews, as follows:
AFRICA: Case Numbers up to and including 14,999;
However, for the Africa region’s exception countries, interview-eligible case numbers are as follows: ALGERIA: Case Numbers up to 6,499; EGYPT: Case Numbers up to 8,249 and MOROCCO: Case Numbers up to 8,249
ASIA: Case Numbers up to 2,999;
For the Asia region’s exception countries (IRAN and NEPAL), case numbers eligible for interview in October are case numbers up to 2,949;
EUROPE: Case Numbers up to 5,999;
Except: RUSSIA: Case Numbers up to 5,949 and UZBEKISTAN: Case Numbers up to 4,899;
NORTH AMERICA: Case Number 1 only;
OCEANIA: Case Numbers up to 499;
SOUTH AMERICA: Case Numbers up to 824.
Important: A case number being eligible for interview for a given month does not mean that the case concerned will be interviewed during the month in question at all cost. It may well be; it may also not be. In addition to the case number being eligible for interview, other factors contribute to determining when the case concerned will actually be interviewed.
Cases Not Yet Eligible
Cases whose case numbers are the same or higher than their region or country cut-off shown above are neither eligible for October interviews, nor are they for November’s. Applicants concerned should consider their cut-off number when the next visa Bulletin is published (anytime from October 7th to 15th) to ascertain their status. The cut-offs to be revealed in that Visa Bulletin will concern DECEMBER 2024, the third month of interviews in the DV 2025 Program.
Conclusion
With the repeat of the October cut-offs for November, due either to the high cut-offs established in August – for October – or to technical problems experienced with the Entrant Status Check, we now expect to witness the normal progression in the DV 2025 cut-off numbers going forward.
Note: The Visa Bulletin is published every month. It is by means of said publication that Diversity Visa applicants get to know the month when their case will be eligible for interview. For a better understanding of what the Visa Bulletin is and how it works, kindly refer to this article.
