The online registration of US Diversity Visa (DV) 2012 lottery starts at 10:00pm tomorrow and will continue until November 3.
A maximum of 6,000 Bangladeshis, on winning the lottery, can get the chance to become permanent US residents, said US Embassy officials in Dhaka at a press conference at the city’s Journalism Training and Research Initiative (Jatri) office.
The officials also requested the applicants to register online on their own and not through any agent, who might manipulate their information and extort them, as there have been instances of similar incidents in the past.
The DV programme makes 50,000 permanent resident visas available each year to nationals of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the US. Until 2009, nearly 39,000 Bangladeshis went to the US under the programme.
To be eligible for the DV lottery, entrants have to pass Higher Secondary Certificate examinations, which is equivalent to high school level education in the US.
A minimum of two-year technical board certificate or a first-year pass from a nationally accredited university will also meet the educational requirement, said Sandra Ingram, chief of the embassy’s consular section.
However, those who do not qualify educationally may also qualify based on their work experience, she said.
“To qualify on work experience or occupationally, entrants have to show they have at least two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience,” the official noted.
To register online for the lottery, each entrant has to provide accurate biographic information, Sandra said, adding that mistakes in it may cause disqualification of an entrant.
In the online entry, entrants must use photographs that meet a certain standard, she said. Sandra added that all photos, in colour, must be taken within the last six months and taken against a light background. The entrant must be facing forward with no obstruction to the view of their full face, she said.
Detailed instructions for DV 2012 are available in English at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ and in both English and Bangla at http://www.dhaka.usembassy.gov/, she told journalists.
Sandra said there will be no winner notifications via post or e-mail for DV 2012 lottery, but those winning it will receive e-mail notifications directing them online to the entry status check of the State Department’s website.
“Therefore, applicants are advised to use their personal e-mail addresses,” she said.
Other officials of the US Embassy were also present at the press conference.
