Marrakech – The American dream of many Moroccans seeking to build a new life in Uncle Sam’s country is now at risk, as DV-2025 Diversity Visa lottery winners face prolonged delays in securing consular interview appointments at the US Consulate in Casablanca.
With the program’s strict September 30 deadline rapidly approaching, affected applicants warn that their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity may slip away without them even being granted an interview.
Hundreds of Moroccan lottery winners have found themselves caught in bureaucratic limbo despite having their case numbers deemed “current” for months, according to the official Visa Bulletin issued by the US State Department. Many have submitted their DS-260 forms on time and completed all required procedures, yet no appointments have been scheduled.
“We’ve waited over 12 months and have lost faith in the transparency of the process,” said one affected winner who spoke with Morocco World News (MWN) on condition of anonymity. “The psychological pressure is enormous, especially since we’ve been waiting for more than a year.”
The personal consequences have been severe, with many applicants making life-altering decisions based on their selection in the lottery. “Some of us resigned from our jobs, while others abandoned projects or studies in preparation for departure,” the applicant added. “Many have put their entire lives on hold for this opportunity.”
In their petition to the US Consulate dated July 21, the group stressed the critical time sensitivity of their situation: “The continued lack of communication has caused us considerable distress and uncertainty, as we fear losing this life-changing opportunity without even being granted a chance to attend an interview.”
The applicant noted that the issue appears to be unique to Morocco. “Neighboring countries like Algeria and Tunisia have progressed to case numbers around 40,000, while Morocco remains stalled at approximately 21,000,” she said, ruling out the possibility that the delay is linked to preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
She also pointed out that the United Kingdom experienced a similar backlog earlier this year but resolved it quickly, unlike the ongoing situation in Morocco.
Contradicting promises, prolonged timelines
The petition, signed by 104 applicants, represents only a fraction of those affected. It urges the consulate to “take all necessary measures to schedule DV-2025 interviews for eligible and documentarily qualified applicants” and to “provide urgent clarity on the current status and expected timeline of interview processing.”
When contacting authorities, the winners have received contradictory information. The Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) told applicants: “Your case number is now current for interview processing. If you are scheduled for an interview date, you will receive notification via email.” The message continued, “Because your case is ready to be scheduled, KCC can no longer unlock your application.”
Meanwhile, the US Consulate in Casablanca sent a conflicting message: “The Diversity Visa Program is administered solely by the Kentucky Consular Center. The Consulate General in Casablanca does not have authority over DV processing until we receive individual cases at this office. Your case has not arrived at our office.”
The consulate’s response concluded with a concerning statement: “Not all applicants selected as winners in the Diversity Visa lottery will be selected to receive appointments.”
The anonymous applicant clarified that while this typically refers to those whose case numbers never become current in the Visa Bulletin, Moroccan applicants’ numbers have already appeared as current for months, making the lack of appointments particularly troubling.
According to the anonymous source, the Casablanca consulate has released only a handful of interview appointments recently, far fewer than the number of places typically allocated to Morocco each year.
When MWN inquired with the KCC, they received a generic response that failed to address the specific situation in Morocco: “Please monitor travel.state.gov for general updates to the DV Program and related regulations…The process for scheduling DV appointments has not changed from previous years…KCC cannot predict when individual cases will be scheduled for interview, and you are not asked to take any additional steps if you have already provided all your documents and information.”
This non-response from KCC provided no clarity on the unique delays facing Moroccan applicants and offered no solutions, further frustrating those affected.
Unexplained administrative bottlenecks
This disparity has fueled suspicions among applicants and rights advocates that Morocco is being subjected to unexplained administrative bottlenecks, leaving many to question whether the delays are the result of negligence, mismanagement, or deliberate under-allocation of interview slots.
The situation, which some have called “an outright injustice,” has garnered growing attention. On August 4, the Moroccan Organization for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption escalated the matter, addressing a formal letter to the US Ambassador in Rabat.
The organization’s Secretary General, Abderrahmane Khannousse, wrote: “Our organization has received numerous complaints from Moroccan citizens selected in the aforementioned program. All of these complaints indicate that their case numbers have been ‘Current’ since last March, according to the official bulletin issued by the US Department of State.”
The letter requested “immediate and urgent intervention with the Kentucky Consular Center to expedite the transfer of Moroccan winners’ files to the American Consulate in Casablanca, respecting the principle of equality and fairness” and called for authorities to “guarantee scheduling of consular interviews within reasonable deadlines for all eligible winners before the end of the current fiscal year September 30, 2025.”
The humanitarian appeal noted that the situation raises “legitimate questions about the respect for the principle of equality and equal opportunity as stipulated in Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”
General cuts, unexplained delays
Recent global data from the Consular Electronic Application Center shows that the Diversity Visa program continues to process cases worldwide, with 37,396 visas issued across all regions. This ongoing progress elsewhere makes the lack of advancement for Moroccan applicants all the more perplexing.
One possible factor lies in Washington, where the Trump administration has embarked on the most sweeping State Department downsizing in modern history – slashing entire bureaus, cutting embassy staff, and shrinking consular operations under the newly created Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE).
Under what Trump calls a “comprehensive reorganization plan,” the State Department laid off 1,300 employees in a single day last month – the largest one-day dismissal in its history. The official line is that these moves will reduce the national debt and free up budgetary space, but critics warn they have left America’s diplomatic machinery underpowered.
Critics counter that the shake-up has hollowed out US diplomacy, weakening America’s presence abroad and slowing services that depend on steady staffing, from visa processing to crisis response.
Africa, already a lower priority in Washington’s strategic map, appears especially vulnerable in this climate – and Moroccan applicants may simply be paying the price of being in the wrong region at the wrong time.
For many, this is a slipping once-in-a-lifetime chance
The Diversity Visa program represents far more than just a lottery for Moroccans. In a nation where legal routes to American immigration remain severely limited, this annual program stands as a beacon of hope for thousands.
The latest 2024 Arab Barometer Wave VIII Migration Report paints a stark picture of this reality, showing that 55% of young Moroccans aged 18-29 want to leave the country – a telling sign of the frustrations and challenges, whether job-, education-, or otherwise-related, pushing a generation to seek abroad what they feel is out of reach at home. The American lottery serves as one of the few legitimate pathways available.
For many Moroccans, the program transcends mere relocation. It embodies a transformative opportunity to secure better futures, access enhanced educational opportunities, and establish economic stability that might remain elusive at home.
Each year, thousands of Moroccan citizens submit their applications, many doing so repeatedly across multiple years before finally seeing their names selected.
For those who aren’t successful, the well-known result reads “HAS NOT BEEN SELECTED.” This message – exactly as it appears on the official DV Entrant Status Check portal – has become a familiar source of disappointment. Every May, when results are announced, it becomes a focal point for trolling, joking, and spirited debate.
The program’s strict eligibility requirements and random selection process make winning akin to capturing lightning in a bottle – a rare chance that most winners understand may never come again.
The woman also expressed confusion over the situation, given Morocco’s traditionally warm diplomatic relations with the United States. “We don’t understand why this is happening, especially considering the historic friendship between our countries. This delay threatens a dream that isn’t accessible to everyone in Morocco.”
As the clock ticks toward the September 30 deadline, the affected Moroccans continue their increasingly desperate plea for answers, with each passing day dimming their hopes of realizing their “American dream,” adding questions as to whether it exists in the first place.
