Bulletin Cut Off numbers and its meaning?

[janetgal]

Hi,

I am trying to explain to this dude about the meaning of visa bulletin posted on travel.state.gov yet i can't cross his mind.

Say, for June 2011, for Africa the cut off number is 49300. What does it mean? How does it relate to a case number such as this 68251 (last find digits randomly taken?)

 

[toyakumar]

In simple terms, 'Cut off number for Africa for June, 2011 is 49300' means that people from Africa with case numbers less than 49300 should expect their visa interviews to occur by the end of June, 2011. I think the official 'definition' refers to visa availability for the region in question but this is what it essentially means for DV selectees. My understanding is also that since the cut off number for May, 2011 was 42,000, a person with case number 43000 can expect the interview to occur in early June whereas another with case number 49000 should expect the interview to occur in late June, but I am not 100% sure about this. A person with case number 68251 should continue to wait to find out when their interview will be scheduled. It may be in July, in August, or in September. If the cut off is any number higher than 68251 in August, let's say, then you can expect your interview to be assigned to a day in August.