DUSHANBE, August 11, Asia-Plus -- 84 Tajik Families Have the Opportunity to Apply for Immigrant Visas to Live in the United States

According to information from the US. Embassy in Dushanbe, the Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky has registered and notified the winners of the DV-2007 diversity lottery.  The diversity lottery was conducted under the terms of section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and makes available 50,000 permanent resident visas annually to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.  Out of this number, and based on Tajikistan’s percentage of the eligible world population, 84 Tajik principle applicants were selected.  A principle applicant may take immediate family members (spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21) to the United States. 

Applicants registered for the DV-2007 program were selected at random from over 5.5 million qualified entries received during the 60-day application period that ran from 12:00 AM on October 5, 2005, until midnight, December 4, 2005.  The visas have been apportioned among six geographic regions with a maximum of seven percent available to persons born in any single country.  During the visa interview, principal applicants must provide proof of a high school education or its equivalent, or show two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience within the past five years.  Those selected will need to act on their immigrant visa applications quickly.  Applicants should follow the instructions in their notification letter and must fully complete the information requested.

Registrants living legally in the United States who wish to apply for adjustment of their status must contact the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services for information on the requirements and procedures.  Once the total 50,000 visa numbers have been used, the program for fiscal year 2007 will end.  Selected applicants who do not receive visas by September 30, 2007 will derive no further benefit from their DV-2007 registration.  Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV-2007 principal applicants are only entitled to derivative diversity visa status until September 30, 2007.