The Immigration and Naturalization Service has issued a memorandum to all of its office district and regional office directors reminding them that all DV-97 visa lottery cases must be completed prior to September 30, 1997. Cases not finished before then mean that the applications are terminated and the lottery winner will have no recourse. In order to minimize the possibility that visa numbers will become unavailable at the last minute, local INS offices are directed to report to the Immigrant Visa Control office of the State Department each pending DV-97 case as soon as the applicant is found to be qualified for a visa even if the applicant's case rank number is no longer within the DV cut-off for the current month.

A crucial point is made at the end of the memorandum which actually has a bearing on many cases in addition to the DV-97 cases. The INS notes that a principal obstacle in finishing the cases on time is the long period of time it typically takes to receive positive responses from the FBI regarding fingerprint checks. The INS has instructed local INS offices to request expedited handling of FBI fingerprint checks. Some INS district directors have been telling members of the public that expedited fingerprint checks are prohibited.