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Visa Bulletin
As soon as you have sent your DS-260 form to the US authorities, the next step toward your Green Card is the interview appointment at the US embassy. In the following you will find out what role the Visa Bulletin plays here and how you can find out when your appointment is!
Take the chance of living in the USA and apply for the official US Green Card Lottery!
What is the Visa Bulletin?
The Visa Bulletin is published by the U.S. State Department on a regular basis. It gives you the chance to determine with the help of your case number (you will find this number on your winner's notification from the KCC), when your interview appointment might take place.
The U.S. authorities communicate via the Visa Bulletin which Green Card applications are being processed in the current and following month. If you are selected as a lucky Green Card winner this May, you will not need to check the Visa Bulletin until October.
Your application should have been processed a while ago and you still haven’t heard from the U.S. authorities? Please contact the KCC (Kentucky Consular Center) through +1-606-526-7500 or via email [email protected]. Please have in mind, that only the actual winner can request case-related information.
How do I find out about my interview appointment?
Once your case number is current in the Visa Bulletin, you can check your status via Electronic Diversity Visa. There you will see the exact time and date of your interview appointment. Please print it out and bring it with you to the US embassy. Please note: A postal invitation is no longer sent out!
Even though your Case number is current doesn’t mean that you will get an appointment straight away. You might have to wait for the next month or even two or three months on top of that. Another factor that affects the scheduling is when the KCC receives your actual green card application. The later you submit the online form, the more the interview date can be postponed.
Basically, the following applies: The lower your case number, the sooner you are invited to the interview appointment. Normally you will receive a notification four to eight weeks prior to your interview.
February 2025 - Case Numbers & Interviews (Preview)
Relevant for winners of DV2025
| Region | Case Number |
|---|---|
| Africa | 22,500 (Except: Algeria: 22,000 Egypt: 22,000 Morocco: 22,000) |
| Asia | 5,500 (Except: Iran: 5,400 Nepal: 3,500) |
| Europe | 12,000 (Except: Russia: 11,750 Uzbekistan: 7,750) |
| North America (Bahamas) | 20 |
| Oceania | 1,100 |
| South America and the Carribean | 1,750 |
January 2025 - Case Numbers & Interviews
Relevant for winners of DV2025
| Region | Case Number |
|---|---|
| Africa | 22,500 (Except: Algeria: 22,000 Egypt: 22,000 Morocco: 22,000) |
| Asia | 5,500 (Except: Iran: 5,400 Nepal: 3,500) |
| Europe | 12,000 (Except: Russia: 11,750 Uzbekistan: 7,750) |
| North America (Bahamas) | 20 |
| Oceania | 1,100 |
| South America and the Carribean | 1,750 |
December 2024 - Case Numbers & Interviews
Relevant for winners of DV2025
| Region | Case Number |
|---|---|
| Africa | 15,000 (Except: Algeria: 10,000 Egypt: 10,000 Morocco: 10,000) |
| 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 | 550 |
| South America and the Carribean | 825 |
Waiting time for family-sponsored and employment-based applications
Furthermore, we would like to announce the following waiting periods for immigration via family or employment (extract from the official version). The number of these Green Cards is subject to an annual quota, i.e. 226,000 visas for family reunification. This can result in waiting times of several years depending on the degree of relationship.
The action dates below show the date of the first applicant who could not be processed within the annual quota. This means that all applicants with a date earlier than the one below should be notified and submit their visa application to the National Visa Center (NVC).
A "C" means that all cases are "current". Depending on the workload of the authorities, however, the waiting time until approval can still be about 1 year. A "U" stands for "unauthorized", i.e. these visas are not authorized for issuance.
"Final Action Dates" for Family-Sponsored Preferences
| Visa Category | Final Action Date |
|---|---|
| F1 (unmarried sons and daughters(21 years or older) of US citizens) | 22NOV15 |
| F2A (Spouses and minor children (under 21) of permanent residents) | 01JAN22 |
| F2B (unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) of permanent residents) | 22MAY16 |
| F3 (Married sons and daughters of US citizens) | 01JUL10 |
| F4 (Brothers and sisters of US citizens) | 01AUG07 |
"Final Action Dates" for Employment-Based Preferences
| Visa Category | Final Action Date |
|---|---|
| 1st | C |
| 2nd | 01APR23 |
| 3rd | 01DECV22 |
| Other workers | 08DEC20 |
| 4th | 01JAN21 |
| Certain Religious Workers | U |
| 5th Unreserverd (C5, T5, and all others) | C |
| 5th Unreserved (I5 and R5) | C |
| 5th Set Aside: Rural (20%) | C |
| 5th Set Aside: High Unemployment (10%) | C |
| 5th Set Aside: Infrastructure (2%) | C |
For more information you can check out the official website of the U.S. Department of State.
The interview at the US Consulate is part of the immigration process. We have summarized all the steps until you receive your Green Card. The first step is to participate in the current Green Card Lottery. If you win, your spouse and children under 21 will automatically receive a Green Card as well - without any waiting time!