The 2016 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2016) will open at noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) or GMT-4 on Wednesday, October 1, 2014, and will close at noon, the United States (US) Embassy in Accra has announced.

It will conclude on Monday, November 3, 2014 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) or GMT-4.

A release from the Public Affairs section of the Embassy signed by Mrs Zainab Mahama and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday said applicants must submit entries electronically during the registration period using the electronic DV entry form (E-DV) at www.dvlottery.state.gov, and that paper entries will not be accepted.

“We strongly encourage applicants not to wait until the last week of the registration period to enter. Heavy demand may result in website delays. No entries will be accepted after noon, EDT, on November 3, 2014”, said the release.

The Congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered annually by the Department of State. Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides for a class of “diversity immigrants,” from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.

“For fiscal year 2016, 50,000 diversity visas (DVs) will be available. There is no cost to register for the DV program. Applicants who are selected in the lottery (“selectees”) must meet simple, but strict, eligibility requirements in order to qualify for a diversity visa”, it said.

Selectees are chosen through a randomized computer drawing. Diversity visas are distributed among six geographic regions and no single country may receive more than seven percent of the available DVs in any one year.

It said natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply for DV-2016, because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States in the previous five years.

They are Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are, however, eligible.

According to the release there are no changes in eligibility this year, and that entries for the DV-2016 DV program must be submitted electronically, using the website link indicated earlier above, between noon Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Wednesday, October 1, 2014, and noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5), Monday, November 3, 2014.

“The law allows only one entry by or for each person during each registration period. The Department of State uses sophisticated technology to detect multiple entries. Individuals with more than one entry will be disqualified”, it warned.

It advised prospective applicants not to wait until the last week of the registration period to enter as heavy demand may result in website delays, adding that late entries or paper entries will not be accepted.