US Restarts Diversity Visa Lottery for Ghana

By Dipo Olowookere

The US government’s Diversity Visa Lottery 2019 programme for Ghana has been restarted after an initial technical issue.

A statement from the American government said all entries made prior to October 18, 2017, will need to be resubmitted for the entrant to be considered.

However, it noted that any entries submitted before Wednesday, October 18, 2017, will not be considered, and the entrant will need to submit another entry during the new registration period.

It said applicants may submit one new entry without being disqualified for submitting multiple entries. Individuals who submit more than one entry during the new registration period will be disqualified. All other eligibility requirements remain the same.

The new registration period for DV-2019 opens for electronic entries at 4:00 pm Ghana time on Wednesday, October 18, 2017, and closes at 5:00 pm Ghana time on Wednesday, November 22, 2017.

Applicants can access the electronic DV entry form (E-DV) at the official E-DV website, Dvlottery.state.gov, during the registration period. DV instructions also are available on the U.S. Department of State’s public webpage at USvisas.state.gov/dv/instructions, the statement said.

The US Department of State says it will send an automated email notification to each Diversity Visa entrant from whom an entry was received before October 18, 2017, using the email address provided on the lottery entry form, directing the entrant to check the website (Dvlottery.state.gov) for an important announcement.

As always, applicants are encouraged to remain vigilant of individuals who might try to use fraudulent means to take advantage of the Diversity Visa opportunity.

The US Embassy says it strongly encourages applicants to submit their own entry and to read the instructions before entering to ensure their eligibility, pointing out that it will never ask applicants to send payment in advance by check, money order, or wire transfer.

Fees for the DV application process are paid to the US Embassy cashier at the time of the scheduled appointment if an entry is selected, the statement said.

Beginning May 15, 2018, DV-2019 entrants will be able to use their unique confirmation number provided at registration to check the online Entrant Status Check at Dvlottery.state.gov to see if their entry was selected.