The entry period for the 2022 Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program will open on Wednesday, October 7, 2020 at noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and will close at noon EDT on Tuesday, November 10, 2022.  There is no cost to register.

Individuals born in the following countries are not eligible to apply because more than 50,000 natives of those countries have immigrated to the United States in the past five years: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.  Individuals born in Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.  It is notable that last year individuals born in Hong Kong SAR were also eligible, but this year, they are not.

Although there is no cost to register, individuals may not submit more than one application.  Doing so will lead to disqualification.  Eligibility requirements are set out on the Diversity Lottery website.  The Department of State (DOS) recommends that applicants apply early and not wait until the last week when heavy demand could lead to website delays.  Applicants must apply online.  No late or paper entries will be accepted.

The DV Program is continuing despite the Administration’s long-stated intention to eliminate it and this year’s Presidential Proclamation that made it impossible for all of the 2020 DV Program winners to apply for immigrant visas.  Those DV Program lottery winners sued the Administration and gained some relief.  They recently asked Judge Amit P. Mehta, the presiding federal judge in the District of Columbia, to preserve 30,000 visas for 2020 DV applicants beyond the September 30, 2020 deadline.  Judge Mehta did so but lowered the figure to 9,095 based upon his estimate of the number of visas DOS reasonably could have processed during the six months in which it illegally refused to process DV Program applications.  With the additional 9,095 visas, the total number issued for the 2020 Program would be about 24,000 – still far short of the close to 50,000 usually issued.

If you have questions about the DV Program 2022 process, Jackson Lewis attorneys are available to assist.

Print:
Email this postTweet this postLike this postShare this post on LinkedIn
Photo of Forrest G. Read IV Forrest G. Read IV

Forrest Read is a Principal in the Raleigh, North Carolina, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He has extensive experience in both business immigration law and employment law and has particular focus in legal issues in graduate medical education (GME).

Mr. Read’s immigration practice…

Forrest Read is a Principal in the Raleigh, North Carolina, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He has extensive experience in both business immigration law and employment law and has particular focus in legal issues in graduate medical education (GME).

Mr. Read’s immigration practice focuses on assisting employers in obtaining employment-based nonimmigrant visas (e.g., H-1B, L, O, TN) for foreign national employees and work-related immigrant (green card) visas, including PERM Labor Certifications, and advising employers on compliance with U.S. immigration laws and regulations. He has broad experience in advising large, mid-size and small employers on their various immigration needs and developing strategies to help them navigate through complex immigration issues. He also has particular experience in counseling employers in the health care industry and addressing immigration-related issues that arise for their broad range of health care professional employees (including advising on and obtaining employment authorization for medical residents and fellows and obtaining J-1 visa waivers for foreign national physicians completing their medical training in the United States). His immigration practice also includes defending employers in connection with Department of Labor H-1B and H-2B investigations.

Mr. Read’s employment law experience includes representing management, particularly academic medical centers in the GME context, in a wide array of workplace disputes and litigation before federal and state courts and administrative agencies, including matters related to discrimination, retaliation, harassment, disability, family and medical leave, various wage and hour issues, contracts, and intentional torts. He advises academic medical centers on the interplay between applicable academic law and employment law and the ramifications of what are divergent legal requirements and standards. Mr. Read also provides counsel with respect to the legal impact of competency standards for residents and trainees in GME, including situations involving discipline, remediation, and dismissal. He provides advice and guidance in the peer review process, including provision of verification and assessment of training in response to third party inquiries.

As a member of the Firm’s Corporate Diversity Counseling group, Mr. Read also has experience in providing assessments and making recommendations to corporate and institutional clients with respect to diversity and inclusion policies and initiatives, conducting related internal investigations, and shaping, developing and enforcing effective policies and initiatives to ensure consistency with client values and in furtherance of business goals and objectives.