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Press Release
U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery Opened October 2
Yaounde, October 5, 2009
Online registration for the United States of America’s diversity visa lottery opened October 2 at 5:00 p.m. and will continue until November 30, 2009. Cameroon is among the many countries whose nationals can enter the electronically-based lottery for an opportunity to apply for one of 50,000 visas available to immigrate to the United States. Over 1,400 diversity visas were issued by the U.S. Embassy in Yaounde during the 2009 DV season to winners chosen at random from over 9.1 million worldwide entrants. All entries must be submitted online at www.dvlottery.state.gov.
Those considering entering the visa lottery should review the rules of the program to avoid the common pitfalls that prevent otherwise eligible candidates from immigrating to the United States. They must:
• Read all instructions thoroughly.
• Be responsible for ensuring that the information included in their entry is complete and correct, regardless of how the lottery entry is prepared. The U.S. Embassy in Yaounde encourages all Cameroonians who enter the diversity visa lottery to submit their lottery entries personally or directly supervise the submission of data. Intermediaries frequently make errors or omissions that can disqualify otherwise legitimate entries.
• Not pay any fee. There is no charge to enter the diversity visa lottery.
• To receive a visa through the diversity lottery program, applicants must have
o the equivalent of a high school education or
o two years of work experience in a qualifying, highly-skilled occupation within the past five years.
• Submit only one lottery entry; those who submit multiple entries will be disqualified.
• Include ALL qualified family members on the application, even if you do not plan to bring them with you. Failure to do so will result in your application being disqualified.
• Understand that providing false information or documents at any point in the diversity visa lottery program, from entering the lottery to interviewing with a consular officer, will disqualify the applicant and can result in a permanent ban on traveling to the United States.
The official source of information about the diversity visas lottery program is the U.S. State Department’s website, www.dvlottery.state.gov. Questions about the DV program should be referred to the U.S. Embassy in Yaounde to ensure that the information received is correct. The Embassy will answer questions free of charge. We strongly caution against paying for information or services related to the diversity visa program since many dubious parties attempt to take advantage of an unsuspecting public.
CAUTION: Providing personal information or photographs to teachers, cyber café operators, and other intermediaries has allowed such individuals to force legitimate winners to participate in illegal activities or to extort money from them.
All entrants, even those who are not selected, will be able to check on the status of their lottery entries online beginning July 1, 2010.
For more information, please contact the United States Embassy in Yaounde, Press section Tel 22 20 15 00, ext 4149 or 4023.
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