Due to a technical glitch, all applications to the FY 2019 Diversity Visa Program, better known as the "visa lottery," that were submitted since the start of the opening period on October 3, 2017 are invalid and will be excluded from the lottery.
Anyone who submitted an application between October 3 and 10 will have to re-register. The U.S. Department of State assures that in this case, submitting a new application - as they indicate - will not count as a duplicate entry, and therefore, will not be disqualified.
The website page dedicated to the visa lottery advises that although it has resolved the technical issue, it is still temporarily disabled, and indicates that the new registration period will begin on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at 12 p.m. ET through Wednesday, November 22, 2017 at 12 p.m. ET.
People who enrolled in the program between October 3 and 10 and received a confirmation number should discard it, as it will no longer be valid.
Prior to the announcement on the website, several people had reported problems accessing the portal.
According to a report by the Voice of America, a technical failure caused all applications submitted between October 3 and 10 to be lost. That is why those interested have to re-register and submit new applications to participate in the visa lottery.
Key dates
Affected Applications: those submitted between October 3-10, 2017.
Reopening period: October 18 at 12 pm ET. ET to November 22 at 12 p.m. ET.
I remind you that not all countries are eligible to register for the FY 2019 visa lottery. For more information on the registration process for this program click here.
