The U.S. Department of State is urging Diversity Visa (DV-2025) Lottery winners to complete their applications quickly, warning that available visa numbers may run out before the September 30, 2025, deadline.
According to the August 2025 Visa Bulletin, there are 52,000 visas available for DV-2025 due to reductions tied to NACARA and recent defense legislation. Visas are allocated by region, and the South America and Caribbean region has been assigned 2,600 spots in August and 2,825 in September.
The bulletin emphasizes that visa availability cannot be guaranteed through the end of the fiscal year, especially for applicants with high lottery ranks. Once numbers run out, no additional DV-2025 visas can be issued — even to qualified individuals who have already been selected.
Notably, the Bahamas remains “current,” meaning all qualified applicants from the country can proceed with their interviews and documentation regardless of rank number.
The bulletin stresses that entitlement to a diversity visa ends on September 30, 2025, and that spouses and children of winners must also be processed by that date. As the deadline approaches, DV-2025 applicants are encouraged to ensure all required documents are submitted to avoid disqualification.
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