The US yesterday opened its annual Diversity Visa (DV) programme for 2015. The programme allows applicants from certain countries to register for a visa lottery which could lead to them being granted a permanent residency visa.
Source: money.cnn.com
The lottery is held each year and is open to citizens of countries which have sent fewer than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the previous five years. Currently, some 55,000 visas are set aside through the Diversity Visa programme, although hundreds upon thousands of would be immigrants register each year to be in with a chance of selection.
The programme will be closed on Saturday 2nd November 2013, after which date no more applications will be accepted. All entries must be made online (visit http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html for more information).
“We strongly encourage applicants not to wait until the last week of the registration period to enter,” stated the US Embassy in Ethiopia – one of the many countries where citizens are eligible to enter the lottery. “Heavy demand may result in website delays.”
Emigrating to the USA? Find out all you need to know here >>
For the 2015 Diversity Visas programme, the Department of State will once again implement an online process to notify entrants of their selection, and to provide information about the immigrant visa application and interview. Beginning on 1st May 2014, all entrants to the 2015 visa lottery will be able to use their unique confirmation number, provided at registration, to check online through Entry Status Check at dvlottery.state.gov to see if their entry was selected.
Successful entrants will then receive instructions for how to apply for immigrant visas for themselves and their eligible family members.