US diversity visa lottery now open
COLOMBO: The 2009 Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery will be formally
opened in Washington, DC on October 3.
This programme allows randomly selected applicants to immigrate to
the United States on an expedited basis, provided they meet all the
criteria.
A person may only enter the lottery if he or she has: 1 citizenship
of a qualifying country (Sri Lanka and the Maldives both qualify), and 2
either a high school equivalent education (Six GCE O-Levels including
compulsory subject) or work experience within the past five years in a
profession that requires at lest two years of training or experience to
perform.
Individuals wishing to participate in the visa lottery are urged to
apply early to avoid any possible delays. A total of 50,000 individuals
will be selected for the lottery worldwide.
The lottery registration period will be October 3 to December 2,2007.
Registration for the Diversity Visa Lottery is free. The lottery will be
conducted entirely by electronic means over the internet. Paper entries
will no longer be accepted.
The State Department has established a website for the submission of
entries, which can be accessed at www.dvlottery.state.gov.
Successfully registered entries will result in the display of
confirmation screen containing the applicant’s name’ date of birth,
country of chargeability (the country the applicant enters the lottery
from), and a date and time stamp.
This confirmation screen can be printed as proof of registration in
the lottery. An applicant may only register ONCE; more than one entry
will result in automatic disqualification.
The Department of State Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg,
Kentucky, will notify the lottery winners by mail (NOT e-mail) between
May and July, 2008, If they qualify, they will then have a one-year
window in which they may immigrate to the United States. Under last
year’s Diversity Visa lottery program, 318 cases qualified for immigrant
visa interviews.
No fee is charged to enter the annual Diversity Visa programme.
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