(PRWEB via ExitPath) October 22, 2004 -- On October 1st, 2004, the Department of State started issuing immigrant visas to the winners of last year's Visa Lottery (DV). The Consular Center in Kentucky, which administers the Visa Lottery, received about 5.9 million qualified lottery entries during the 60-day registration period. There were about 100,000 winners selected in a random computer drawing, double the number of lottery immigrant visas available. The overage is for the presumption that half of the applicants will not actually immigrate to the US.
Notification of Visa Lottery winners
The winners were notified by mail and are encouraged to act quickly to provide the information requested in the lottery notification letters, as only 50,000 lottery visas are available. As part of the process, they will have to go through the Consular interview, where they must show proof of a high school education, among other requirements. Visa lottery winners who are already in the U.S. should contact their local USCIS office for information regarding requirements for adjusting their status and getting a green card. Among those persons residing in the U.S. illegally, only those who are "otherwise eligible" may adjust their immigration status and obtain the visa lottery benefit.
Some of the countries with the largest number of Visa Lottery winners in the last year include:
Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Kenya in Africa
Bangladesh and Nepal in Asia
Albania, Bulgaria, Poland and Ukraine in Europe
Australia in Oceania
Peru in South America
This year's Visa Lottery (DV-2006) begins on November 5th, 2004, and runs for sixty days ending on January 7, 2005.
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