yeah. I just missed the April 2024 IL batch since my DQ date was late Dec 2022. Shortly after, the EB3 visa limit was reached and I had to wait until the new visa fiscal year. Also, I was still competing for interviews with the remnants of the COVID backup in MTL. Seems like the COVID backup has been resolved and the IL wait time is at a reasonable 10-12 month wait.
Some bad luck along the way but it all worked out in the end. Couldn't ask for a better interview process.