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Annual 221(g) “victim-rejectees” due to the September 30 deadline include those living in high-fraud countries with protracted document verification processes initiated by consuls those applicants interviewed in August or September and Muslim males from the Middle East subject to heightened security checks. Otherwise, the “winning Lottery ticket” is invalidated. The problem with these checks is that they must be completed by and the visa issued by September 30.
221(g) denials/administrative processing - As discussed elsewhere on this website, 221(g) can be invoked by a consular officer when either the applicant failed to bring a necessary document (e.g., a police certificate from another country) the consul wishes to initiate a check of the authenticity of the applicant’s documents (e.g., diploma) or bona fides of a relationship (e.g., marriage or parental) or there is a security/criminal/technology/or other check initiated by a US government agency. Why are thousands of individuals refused Diversity Visas every year? And more importantly, what can be done to challenge such denials? Reasons for Lottery Denialsīroadly speaking, the Lottery denials can be grouped into 5 categories: 1) 221(g) 2) lack of qualifications 3) inadmissibility criteria 4) Lottery-specific inadmissibility and 5) failure to comply with the Lottery instructions: Every year, less than 1% of the entrants to the Lottery are selected to apply for a Diversity Visa, with only up to 50,000 out of the 80,000–100,000 selected winners actually receiving green cards.
While the Green Card Lottery has enabled hundreds of thousands of individuals from all over the world to pursue their American dreams in the United States, it has led to heartbreak, frustration, cancelled visas, permanent bars, and lighter pockets for countless others.