Application for Diversity Visa (DV) 2010 starts on October 2 and ends on December 1 for permanent residency in the United States with 50,000 chances on stake.
Announcing the details of the DV 2010 at a news conference at the National Press Club, US Consular Chief Laurie Trost said 50,000 permanent resident visas would be available this time to nationals of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the US.
More DV entries come from Bangladesh than any other country in the world, and more Diversity Visas are issued for Bangladeshi applicants than any other country in Asia, she added.
In reply to a question, Laurie said since 2000, over 17,000 DVs have been issued in Bangladesh. Last year, more Bangladeshis applied for the DVs and won more as they have interest in the lottery.
She said results of DV lottery are likely to be known in March-April and interview of the winners may start in October 2009.
Laurie dismissed suspicion that the selection process of DV applicants is manipulated in Washington. “Recipients are drawn from totally random selection among all entries made worldwide,” she told newsmen.
Reminding of basic requirements for DV applications, she said applicants must fill out the form clearly and correctly and submit a recent photograph.
Laurie said assuming all the submitted information is clear and correct and the applicant's identity is not in question, applicants must then show that they have either the education or work experience required to receive a DV.
She encouraged those applying for the DV lottery to evaluate their educational and occupational qualifications before entering the lottery.
To meet educational requirements, applicants must have a HSC or a two-year technical board certificate or a first-year passing certificate from a government-registered university.
Laurie said entrants would be able to check the status of their entry electronically this year for the first time. In order to check the status of their entry via e-DV website, entrants must retain a copy of their confirmation page.
The consular executive reminded applicants about unscrupulous agents and said entrants should complete their own applications and double-check their entries before submitting them.
“If this is not possible,” Laurie said, “applicants can take help of a trusted friend or relative in completing the forms.” She said it has been seen many applicants disqualified for entries submitted by agents or cyber-café operators not following the DVC rules carefully.
Beyond that, she said, many of these applicants are victimised by agents who misuse the personal information of applicants and extort money from them, or press them to commit fraud or misrepresent the truth in their interviews. This will disqualify them as entrants.