United States Announces New Dates for 2019 Diversity Visa LotteryThe United States government has announced new dates for the 2019 Diversity Visa Lottery Program (DV- 2019) - commonly known as the Green Card Lottery - following technical issues with the site- http://dvlottery.state.gov. In a statement, the Public Affairs Section of the U.S Embassy Harare said, “Effectively, the new registration period for DV-2019 opens for electronic entries at 6 pm on Wednesday October 18th 2017. It closes at 6 pm on Wednesday November 22nd 2017. “We regret the inconvenience to Diversity Visa entrants. In order to ensure fairness and protect the integrity of the process for all those concerned, however, we must restart the entry process for this year (DV-2019),” said David McGuire, Embassy spokesperson. All entries made prior to October 18, 2017, will need to be resubmitted for the entrant to be considered. “Individuals who submit more than one entry during the new registration period will be disqualified.” Registration is free and the only way to apply is online at http://dvlottery.state.gov during the registration period. Applicants are expected to keep the application confirmation number received after applying. Additional DV instructions are also available on the Department of State’s public webpage at http://usvisas.state.gov/dv/instructions The Diversity Visa Lottery allows randomly selected applicants the opportunity to interview for an immigrant visa and become legal permanent residents of the United States. The program is the “2019” lottery because applicants register in 2017; interview in 2018; and—if selected and approved—receive Green Cards in 2019. The lottery is open to those born in qualifying countries including Zimbabwe. Initially, the program started on Tuesday, October 3rd, 2017, and was expected to end on November 7th, 2017. Beginning May 15th 2018, applicants may go online to the Entrant Status Check page on http://dvlottery.state.gov to see if they have been selected for the program. “Those selected will be asked to submit additional information and will be notified when they are selected for an interview. The in-person interview will be with a U.S. Consular Officer, who will decide if the applicant is eligible to receive the visa based on requested documents including medical and police clearance as well as and payment of visa fees at the Embassy.” The Embassy said the Department of State will not send notification that an entrant has won the visa lottery and will not ask for money through Western Union. “This is fraud – don’t be a victim! Only use the Entrant Status Check at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov to learn if you were selected.” Through this program, the United States Government makes available 50,000 permanent resident visas to citizens of countries that traditionally have a low rate of immigration to the United States. For any inquiries contact David McGuire, Public Affairs Officer. Email: hararepas@state.gov; Tel: +263 5 758 800-1; http://zw.usembassy.gov. You can also find the Embassy on Facebook and Twitter.