MalcomX
Active Member
Thanks too much Simon, you are the number 1 , all your points are a valid points, I think that nobody will be able to predict the real numbers since there are a lot of variables, we just try to do our best to be closer from the reality, the correct numbers will be known not before the 30th of September, I've put some remarks (in bold)
OK Malcom,
First off, congrats and thanks for a significant effort and for sharing it with us all. I think in general your numbers are pretty accurate, although I think there are some potential flaws.
One thing that could catch you out is looking at CEAC data for response and ultimate success rates. As you know, CEAC data from 2013 was missing about 10% of data. According to CEAC only 45k visas were issued, whereas official figures showed 51k. Once you take out the aos it means it is missing around 4000 visas approved (and corresponding number of refusals/AP/Ready). So, if you take the official selectee counts and compare to CEAC for responses or success rate, you will be underestimating those numbers. The underestimation could vary by region. That is why I am suggesting you plug in the 2013 numbers to see if the formulas work. If they come out to 51k (49 without aos) then you have an accurate model. --> since the missed data concern in general one specific consulate or a complete week, I think that the rate between the: issued, refused, ready & AP will remain the same, that why I don't have problem to use that file,
Next is the assumption about quotas. Because no quotas (apart from Iran) were hit last year we don't really know what the max quotas were for any region. I'm STILL not convinced that a quota will cause a hard stop for a region, but if they do, 2013 didn't hit. There were (as far as we know) no selectees left over in any region, so one region might have ended at 99% of quota another might have ended at 90% of quota - we just don't know. --> you are right
Next, as Vladdy bought up earlier, it is very hard to be precise about case number cutoffs even if all the other factors were known and solid. We are sure that the three largest regions will have decreasing density of cases due to limited countries (I mean those limited during selection, not progression). We also know that some countries will hit country limits (not many, but Nepal for sure), and when they do that will knock out some number of cases --> valid point also, that's why I have taken into consideration Nepal case by removing 1000 selected from Asia,
That also reminds me to mention NACARA and the max number of visas. We can be fairly confident that we will see more than 50k visas issued, which means we are dipping into the NACARA reserve. How far they let that go however is another question. I know there are a very small number of NACARA cases left, but I think they may be cautious about using too many NACARA visas for DV. The NACARA allowance can flow year to year, so for a while the DV program was paying back a NACARA debt - which is now repaid, but they may not give DV all those visas back "just in case" they are needed for NACARA again... --> since we don't know the real number that they will allow: 51k, 53k or even 55k, I used the last one just to give a little more hope to the bigger CNs
Lastly, I just want to point out that processing constraints and the early cutoff will have an effect this year. In previous years there has been enough time to process everyone and many AP cases got approved in the last 30 days of the year. This year, I think we are likely to see the global cutoff hit some time in September, and because of that any in process AP cases will miss out. AF region will be particularly hit by that because of the percentage of AP cases. Furthermore, resources that would normally have been pushed toward closing AP cases will instead be kept busy with processing new clean cases up until the last minute, so regions with low AP cases will benefit. These two factors will see AF underperform and EU overperform. EU has low AP cases. Moscow embassy thinks all cases are in AP - even those that haven't been interviewed yet, but apart from that, EU has low AP compared to AF or AS --> you are right, I am going to sleep .