AKIPRESS.COM - The online registration for the 2016 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV) will begin Wednesday, October 1, 2014, at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and will close Monday, November 3, 2014, at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)(GMT-4), the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe said.

Applicants must submit entries electronically during this registration period using the electronic DV entry form (E-DV) at www.dvlottery.state.gov . All entrants must print and retain their online confirmation page after completing their DV entries so that they will be able to check their entry status. No late entries or paper entries will be accepted. The law allows only one entry per person during the registration period. Entrants who submit more than one entry will be disqualified. There is no fee to register for the DV program.

The annual DV program makes visas available to persons meeting the simple, but strict, eligibility requirements. A computer-generated, random drawing chooses selectees for diversity visas.

For DV-2016, the Department of State will again implement an online process to notify entrants of their selection and to provide information about the immigrant visa application and interview. The Department of State will not send selectee notification or appointment letters to successful entrants by regular mail or by e-mail. Starting May 5, 2015, entrants may enter their DV-2016 entry confirmation number into the Entrant Status Check, available at www.dvlottery.state.gov, to find out whether their entry was selected or not. Subsequently, selected individuals who respond to the notification instructions provided on the E-DV selectee confirmation page on Entrant Status Check will also receive notification of their scheduled IV appointment through Entrant Status Check.

DV-2016 data will be available through Entrant Status Check until at least June 30, 2016. All entrants should keep their confirmation number until September 30, 2016, whether they are initially selected or not.

“The U.S. Government employs no outside consultants or private services to operate the DV program. Any intermediaries or others who offer assistance to prepare DV entries do so without the authority or consent of the U.S. Government. Use of any outside intermediary or assistance to prepare a DV entry is entirely at the applicant's discretion. We strongly encourage entrants to complete the DV Program entry without such unnecessary cost or assistance,” the Embassy stressed.

The Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan has become aware of fraudulent notices about the DV program being sent by e-mail to citizens of Tajikistan and citizens of other countries resident in Tajikistan. This type of fraud is not unique to Tajikistan. There have been instances of fraudulent websites posing as official U.S. Government sites, seeking money to "complete" lottery entry forms. There is no charge to download and complete the electronic Diversity Visa entry form, the Embassy added.

All immigrant visas, including Diversity Visas, for Tajik citizens are processed by the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan.