Rumors have been going around on the internet about whether the diversity visa lottery will be cancelled for the 2023 fiscal year. The many hiccups by the U. S. State Department in dealing with visa processing and interview backlogs for the DV2020 and DV2021 has led many to this speculation. Which is, if it is even worth continuing the program if the State department cannot handle interviewing all selectees and approving visas for the qualified selectees who are able to pass their interviews.
These assumptions make sense but they are not facts!
The diversity visa program’s 2023 fiscal year application in October 2021 will not be cancelled due to various reasons I will explain below. You can watch my video discussion of this issue.
It would take an act of congress to cancel the diversity visa a.k.a. green card lottery program because the program was established by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1990 (INA 1990). This was passed by both houses of congress and signed by George H.W. Bush. Therefore, for the diversity visa program to be canceled, it will have to go through similar process.
U. S. State Department as a branch of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not have the authority to cancel the diversity visa lottery program. However, the State Department can petition congress to review the program. Even so, that would still be in the hands of congress.
Republican senators Tom Cotton, of the Senate Judiciary Committee (R-Arkansas) and David Perdue (R-Georgia) introduced legislation in 2017 called RAISE Act , that sought to eliminate the diversity visa program. Republican representative Bill Posey, of the Senate Judiciary Committee(R-Florida) also sponsor a bill called SAFE for America Act to end the diversity visa program in 2017. Recent attempt has come from Republican senator John Kennedy (R-Louisiana). Sen. Kennedy introduced Visa Lottery Repeal Act . So far, these have been some of the attempts to end the program.
The diversity visa 2023 application period is few days away for such a dramatic end to the program to take place. As I have explained above, it will need the act of congress to end or eliminate the program and few days to a new fiscal year is too short for this to happen.
Immigration proponents in the congress are fighting for an increase in the number of diversity visas from 55,000 to 85,000. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) voted to include an amendment on the House Appropriation Committee Infrastructure funding of Department of Homeland Security, that would rollover any unused diversity visas from 2020 and 2021 fiscal years to the subsequent years.
For these reasons, diversity visa lottery will continue for now! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos and also, watch my prediction for DV2023 application start date!
Long live Green Card Lottery!!
