The U.S State Department has announced new registration period for the Diversity Visa (DV-2019) lottery commonly known as Green Card lottery.
This is as a result of a glitch in the department’s website which caused it to be down for over a week rendering would be applicants unable to apply.
The revised online registration period for the DV-2019 Program begins on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and concludes on Wednesday, November 22, 2017 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-4).
All applications received before October 18 have been put aside and will not be taken into consideration.
Applicants who submitted their entries before this new registration period will have to re-submit them again. You will not be penalized for submitting this new entry as it will not count as a duplicate. However, Individuals who submit more than one entry during the new registration period will be disqualified.
Prior to the State Department announcement, users had been complaining that the site had been down for most of the week and they could not submit their entries. The site reported a technical issue and stated that it was under maintenance.
“The technical issue has been resolved and a new full entry period will begin at noon, U.S. Eastern Daylight Time on Wednesday October 18, 2017 and will run until noon Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday November 22, 2017,” it added, telling applicants to “throw away” any confirmation number or documentation of applications submitted between the 3rd and 10th.
Those who applied during the mentioned period will be contacted by the State Department via email, instructing them to check the website dvlottery.state.gov “for an important announcement”.
“We will also work through our embassies and consulates to inform potential entrants of the situation and new registration period using social media and local media outlets,” said a State Department spokesman.
Many expert however fear that many who had applied may not know that they need to resubmit their applications causing many to miss out.
Winners of the current lottery would get their visas during the 2019 fiscal year that runs from Oct. 1, 2018 to Sept. 30, 2019.
Natives of all countries qualify except Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, South Korea, the United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam. People born in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan are eligible.
To apply, you can vist this link https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/
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