Judge Rejects Lawsuit; New Visa Lottery Results Announced

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by a group of individuals who were wrongly shortlisted in May of this year for the Diversity Visa Lottery Program. The decision Judge Amy Berman opened the way for the State Department to publish the results of the second lottery held this year on its website.

According to the authorities, of the approximately 15 million applicants, 100,000 people were selected in the new lottery. This group of people will now move on to the next phase of the process: submitting identity documents, undergoing a background check and consular interviews. At the end of the process, a total of 55,000 green cards will be granted.

Due to a computer error, the results of the 2012 diversity visa lottery held in May had to be annulled. This dashed the aspirations of approximately 22,000 people whose names appeared on the shortlist in May, but raised the hopes of many other potential immigrants.