The nearly 1,000 Diversity Visas that were set aside by a D.C. federal court must be issued prior to October 2022, per a court order. The U.S. Department of State is required to complete adjudication of these diversity visas that were reserved due to Covid regional travel bans.
Diversity visas are granted to individuals from specific countries that are underrepresented in overall immigration rates.
The State Department is required to start processing the FY2021 diversity visas as soon as possible, within reason. The Judge stated the processing timeline and October 2022 due date is set balancing the needs of the diversity visa holders and resource constraints at the State Department. Monthly reporting is required to ensure the additional 966 diversity visas are adjudicated within the timeframe.
The diversity visas were reserved after a group of winners from countries included in the travel ban sued the State Department. The suit claimed the U.S. government illegally used the travel restrictions to stop reviewing and granting their visa applications. The 966 diversity visas were originally reserved in September 2021. This latest news set the processing due date, as suggested by the State Department, to improve their overall processing systems. Current State Department systems do not allow for closed program years allocations to be accessed or processed, so systems must be updated.
Another judge recovered an additional 9,095 diversity visas allotted in FY2020. That judge told the State Department and the diversity visa winners to agree on a scheduled timeline for adjudication. However, the parties were unable to reach an agreement. As such, that judge set the completion date as the end of FY2022, or prior to October 2022.
If you have questions about your diversity visa or any immigration-related issue, contact us at ILBSG. We continue to monitor ongoing updates to U.S. immigration and put our expertise and experience to work for you.
