Nigeria as well as some other countries removed from the eligibility list of the United States’ Congressional-mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV), also known as the U.S diversity visa lottery may be returned to eligibility list.
Nigeria was taken off the list of countries eligible to partake in the U.S diversity visa lottery in 2013.
The US Department of State gave a reason that Nigeria was not eligible because more than 50,000 natives of Nigeria immigrated to the United States in the previous five years.
Ashley Garrigus of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said “the Congressional-mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV) makes available up to 55,000 diversity visas each year, drawn from random selection among all entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
“The section of the law establishing the Diversity Visa program limits the list of “eligible countries” to those countries from which fewer than 50,000 persons in various visa categories immigrated to the United States during the previous five years.
“U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) modifies the list of eligible countries for each year’s DV program on the basis of this five-year calculation.
“The list is modified every year based on trends of the previous five-years. The list of eligible countries can change each year of the program.”
Initially Nigeria had low rate immigration to the United States and remained in the program since it started in 1995 fiscal year.
Those born in any territory that has sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the previous five years are not eligible to receive a diversity visa.
