Here are the updates for DV2025 from CEAC for week #5 for the fiscal year 2025 (Jan 27 – Feb 2, 2025)

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AI Summary – Diversity Visa 2025 – Week #5 (Jan 27 – Feb 2) Report

Key Highlights

Total Cases Processed

• Grand Total Cases: 32 cases processed (after subtracting duplicates).
• Issued Visas: 1,377 visas issued globally (from 709 cases).
• Administrative Processing (AP) Cases: 221 cases remain in AP, 99% expected to transition to Issued.
• Refusals under 221(g): 226 cases refused under 221(g).

Status Transitions

• Ready → Issued: 442 cases transitioned to “Issued” (1,377 visas).
• InTransit → Ready: 233 cases, with Africa (216 cases) leading.
• AP → Issued: 201 cases cleared Administrative Processing.
• Ready → Refused221g: 169 cases faced additional review.

Consular Processing Activity

• Top Consulates by Case Volume:
  • Algiers (ALG): 131 cases (all Africa).
  • Abidjan (ABJ): 42 cases (Africa).
  • Cotonou (COT): 30 cases (Africa).

Status Change Activity

• Visas Issued by Region:
  • Africa (AF): 546 visas.
  • Asia (AS): 123 visas.
  • Europe (EU): 611 visas.
  • Oceania (OC): 17 visas.
  • South America (SA): 80 visas.
• Administrative Processing (AP):
  • Total AP Cases: 221, with Asia leading (126 cases).
• Refused221g Cases:
  • Total Cases: 226, with Africa (83 cases) and Asia (88 cases) seeing the highest numbers.

Insights and Observations

Regional Performance

• Europe (EU) dominates visa issuance, continuing to process cases at a high rate.
• Africa (AF) has the highest case workload, processing more cases than any other region.
• Asia (AS) leads in Administrative Processing cases, suggesting procedural/documentation challenges.

Top Consulates

• Algiers, Abidjan, and Cotonou lead Africa’s case processing.
• Kyiv (KEV) processed 13 cases for Europe, showing ongoing activity in the region.

Refusals and Bottlenecks

• Africa (83 cases) and Asia (88 cases) dominate 221(g) refusals, suggesting common documentation issues.
• Total outright refusals remain moderate at 69 cases globally.

Takeaways

• Momentum Continues: Visa issuance remains strong, increasing from Week #4.
• Africa’s Heavy Workload: Consulates are handling high volumes but face delays.
• AP Remains a Smooth Transition: Most cases in AP will transition to Issued.
• 221(g) Remains a Bottleneck: High refusals indicate potential applicant errors or documentation issues.

Detailed Analysis by Region

Africa (AF)

• Cases Processed: 17.
• Visas Issued: 546.
• Refusals under 221(g): 83 cases.

Asia (AS)

• Cases Processed: 0.
• Visas Issued: 123.
• Refusals under 221(g): 88 cases.

Europe (EU)

• Cases Processed: 14.
• Visas Issued: 611.
• Refusals under 221(g): 47 cases.

Oceania (OC)

• Cases Processed: 1.
• Visas Issued: 17.
• Refusals under 221(g): 1 case.

South America (SA)

• Cases Processed: 0.
• Visas Issued: 80.
• Refusals under 221(g): 7 cases.

Consular Performance

Top Consulates by Case Volume

• Algiers (131 cases)
• Abidjan (42 cases)
• Cotonou (30 cases)

Refusal Analysis

Refusals Under 221(g)

• Total Cases: 226, led by Africa (83) and Asia (88).

Outright Refusals (Non-221g)

• Total Cases: 69, with Africa (30) leading.

Trends and Projections

1. Visa Issuance Momentum: Increasing each week.
2. Africa’s Workload: Continues to grow, requiring better efficiency.
3. AP Success: 99% of cases still transition to Issued.
4. 221(g) Challenges: Persistent in Africa and Asia.

Charts

Summary of Charts for Week #5

1. Cases Processed by Region:
   • Africa handled the most cases, while Asia and South America had minimal activity.
2. Visas Issued by Region:
   • Europe (EU) leads in total visas issued, followed by Africa (AF).
3. Cases in Administrative Processing (AP):
   • Asia has the highest number of cases in AP, indicating ongoing delays.
4. Cases Refused (221g) by Region:
   • Africa and Asia have the most 221(g) refusals, which remain a challenge.
5. Share of Visas Issued by Region (Pie Chart):
   • Europe dominates visa issuance, followed by Africa and Asia.
6. Share of Cases Refused (221g) by Region (Pie Chart):
   • Africa and Asia continue to lead in refusals under 221(g).

Final Insights

1. Visa Issuance Holds Steady Despite Lower Activity
   • While total cases processed dropped significantly, visa issuance remained stable.
   • Europe (EU) continued to dominate with 611 visas issued, followed by Africa (546 visas).
2. Sharp Drop in Case Processing
   • Africa (429 → 17 cases processed) and Europe (338 → 14 cases processed) saw significant declines.
   • Asia and South America had no recorded case processing.
   • This suggests either temporary delays, system slowdowns, or shifts in consular operations.
3. Asia Faces Administrative Processing (AP) Bottleneck
   • Asia’s AP cases surged from 41 to 126, indicating new cases requiring further review.
   • This could point to documentation or procedural hurdles.
4. 221(g) Refusals Increased in Asia
   • Asia saw a sharp rise in 221(g) refusals, jumping from 27 to 88 cases.
   • This highlights potential issues in applicant documentation or procedural requirements.
5. Africa Remains the Most Active Region
   • Even with the decline in cases processed, Africa still handled the most cases and maintained its leadership in overall visa issuance.
6. What This Means for Future Weeks
   • The slowdown in case processing might be temporary and could indicate backlog clearing in upcoming weeks.
   • If visa issuance remains stable despite fewer cases processed, it suggests a shift in focus towards clearing backlog cases already in the system.

Closing Thought

This week’s data suggests a momentary pause in case processing activity, but visa issuance remains consistent. The rise in 221(g) refusals in Asia and administrative processing cases could indicate a bottleneck forming, which will be interesting to watch in the coming weeks.