By Dipo Olowookere
The US Embassy in Addis Ababa has announced the commencement of the 2018 Diversity Visa (DV) Program registration.
Registration starts October 4, 2016 and will close Monday, November 7, 2016.
Each year the United States administers the Diversity Visa Immigrant Program from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.
For the 2018 year, 50,000 DVs will be available.
No more than seven percent of the total visas available can go to nationals of any one country.
US immigration law requires that every DV winner must have at least a high school education or its equivalent or have two years of recent work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience.
Vocational training in Ethiopia – known as TVET – cannot be considered a substitute for high school education and does not meet the education criteria for DV eligibility.
Vocational degrees are not accepted as an equivalent to a high school education because they are not considered a basis for further academic study.
Applicants may visit onetonline.org to see if they qualify for a DV based on based experience.
The U.S. Embassy encourages applicants to apply on their own although applicants are allowed to have someone else submit on their behalf.
Incorrect entries may not be considered and it is free to register for the program.
Entrants who submit more than one entry will be disqualified. For complete information and to register, applicants must go to dvlottery.state.gov.
Entrants will be notified of their selection and interview appointment beginning May 2, 2017. Checking your status multiple times does not increase the likelihood that you will be selected. Checking your status online is the only way you will be notified if you are selected. You will not be notified by phone, letter, or email.
Business Post Contributor 
Adedapo Adesanya