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DV-2002 Visa Lottery – Latest Information U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE For Immediate Release STATEMENT BY PHILIP T. REEKER, ACTING SPOKESMAN Change of Address for Next Diversity Visa Lottery (DV-2002) The mail-in period for the next Diversity Visa lottery (DV-2002) will be held between noon on October 2, 2000 and noon on November 1, 2000. There are several important changes for DV-2002. Most importantly, the mailing address for submitting DV applications will change. Effective with DV-2002, Diversity Visa operations will move to the Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky. Entries for DV-2002 should not be sent to the National Visa Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Entries for DV-2002 sent to the National Visa Center address will not be accepted and will be disqualified. Those who choose to enter the DV-2002 lottery, should obtain a copy of the latest instructions and follow them carefully. Complete instructions for entry into the DV-2002 lottery will be made available in early August 2000. At that time, written instructions will be posted in the "Visa Bulletin" on the Internet at travel.state.gov or via the Consular Affairs’ automated fax at (202) 647-3000. Calls to the automated fax service must be made from a fax machine using the receiver or voice option of the caller’s fax equipment. Recorded information will be available in August 2000 by calling (202) 331-7199. Individuals who are overseas may contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for updated instructions on DV-2002. The Diversity Visa lottery (DV) is a program mandated under Section 203 (c) of the Immigration Act of 1990. The legislation makes available up to 55,000 permanent resident immigrant visas by random selection through an annual diversity visa lottery. The Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NCARA) passed by Congress in 1997 stipulated that up to 5,000 of the 55,000 annually allocated diversity visas would be available for use under the NCARA program.
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of State For Immediate Release New Consular Center to Open in Williamsburg, Kentucky In a move designed to increase its capacity for processing immigrant visa applications domestically, the U.S. Department of State has announced that it is moving the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery program from the National Visa Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire to a new facility in Williamsburg, Kentucky, to be named the Kentucky Consular Center. The new facility will open in the fall of this year, in time to begin processing applications for the next Diversity Visa lottery (DV-2002) for visas being issued in fiscal year 2002 which runs from October 2001 through September 2002. It is expected that the majority of staff for the new facility will be recruited locally in southeastern Kentucky. The Diversity Visa (DV) program is congressionally-mandated and allows up to 55,000 persons from nations that are historically under-represented in terms of migration to the United States to qualify each year for immigrant visas. The program is also known as the "visa lottery" because the winners are determined through a random drawing from among the 10-12 million people who enter each year. The DV programs which are already underway (DV-2000 and 2001) will continue to be handled by the National Visa Center through completion of issuance of available visas for each of those fiscal years. Ambassador Mary A. Ryan, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, notes that the move is in line with State Department efforts to reduce overseas presence when possible. "The State Department has a policy to provide administrative support for our overseas operations from domestic locations wherever feasible and cost-effective," Ambassador Ryan said. "Domestic locations are less expensive to staff and operate than most overseas missions; they are easier to protect from foreign-based threats of terrorism and fraud; they can coordinate more effectively with other government agencies involved in the immigration process; and they provide jobs in the United States. The expansion to Kentucky supports this policy." The Center's day-to-day operations will be managed by Statistica, Inc., which expects to employ between 25 and 70 people, depending on the time of year. Statistica is also the prime contractor at the New Hampshire center. Gene Schneider, Statistica's project manager at the Portsmouth facility, expects a smooth transition of the DV program to Kentucky. "We anticipate there may be some minimal relocation of existing Statistica staff to the new Kentucky facility, but most of the staff at the new facility will be hired locally," Schneider said. Meanwhile, the National Visa Center, located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is expected to increase its workload significantly over at least the next 2-3 years as it assumes additional responsibilities connected with processing applications for immigrant visas. With the move of DV operations, entrants will be required to mail their entries to a designated address in Kentucky for the next Diversity Visa lottery (DV-2002) to be held during October 2000. Information and instructions for entering the DV-2002 lottery will be made available in August 2000 and will be posted on the Consular Affairs web site at http://travel.state.gov. |
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