Department of State Voids Results of 2012 Diversity Lottery Citing Computer Error

Dallas, TX (Law Firm Newswire) June 30, 2011 – Tens of thousands of immigrants who were selected as eligible to apply for an immigrant visa and ultimately qualify to immigrate to the U.S. may now not be able to after the State Department announced that it was voiding the results of the 2012 Diversity Visa Lottery.

A State Department official told reporters that a computer error had occurred, causing 90 percent of the winners to be selected from the first two days of applications, rather than from the entire batch of applications from the 30-day registration period. Because of this error, the drawing had to be redone, he said.

“The Department of State has crushed the hopes of the few lucky ones that won the lottery by voiding the results of the 2012 Diversity Lottery program,” says Dallas immigration lawyer Stewart Rabinowitz of the firm of Rabinowitz & Rabinowitz, P.C.

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program was created in 1990 to provide visas to residents of countries that have low immigration rates to the United States. The Act makes 50,000 permanent resident visas available each year.

The program has come under scrutiny because many high skilled H-1B and L-1 visa workers remain in the U.S. on temporary visas for years with no clear path to become permanent residents, while 50,000 random people from around the world are picked to become permanent residents regardless of their skills or working status. It also excludes potential skilled workers from large countries, particularly Asian countries, because of high U.S. immigration rates for those countries.

“Congress should abolish the Diversity lottery program altogether and provide immigrant visas to those whose eligibility to immigrate is based on a proven U.S. labor shortage, or on uniting a family – two pillars of U.S. immigration policy – and not an accident of fate in being randomly selected as eligible to get a green card.”

The official said that the United States regrets any inconvenience this may cause any potential immigrants. The new results are expected to be released on July 15, two months after the initial results should have been released.

To learn more, contact a Dallas immigration lawyer or Dallas immigration attorney at Rabinowitz & Rabinowitz, P.C., call 1.972.233.6200 or visit http://www.rabinowitzrabinowitz.com.

Rabinowitz & Rabinowitz, P.C.
14901 Quorum Drive, Suite 580
Dallas, Texas 75254
Phone: 972.233.6200