U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman

For Immediate Release
May 30, 2000

STATEMENT BY PHILIP T. REEKER, ACTING SPOKESMAN

Change of Address for Next Diversity Visa Lottery (DV-2002)

The mail-in period for the next Diversity Visa lottery (DV-2002) will be held between noon on October 2, 2000 and noon on November 1, 2000. There are several important changes for DV-2002. Most importantly, the mailing address for submitting DV applications will change. Effective with DV-2002, Diversity Visa operations will move to the Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky. Entries for DV-2002 should not be sent to the National Visa Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Entries for DV-2002 sent to the National Visa Center address will not be accepted and will be disqualified.

Those who choose to enter the DV-2002 lottery, should obtain a copy of the latest instructions and follow them carefully. Complete instructions for entry into the DV-2002 lottery will be made available in early August 2000. At that time, written instructions will be posted in the "Visa Bulletin" on the Internet at travel.state.gov or via the Consular Affairs’ automated fax at (202) 647-3000. Calls to the automated fax service must be made from a fax machine using the receiver or voice option of the caller’s fax equipment. Recorded information will be available in August 2000 by calling (202) 331-7199. Individuals who are overseas may contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for updated instructions on DV-2002.

The Diversity Visa lottery (DV) is a program mandated under Section 203 (c) of the Immigration Act of 1990. The legislation makes available up to 55,000 permanent resident immigrant visas by random selection through an annual diversity visa lottery. The Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NCARA) passed by Congress in 1997 stipulated that up to 5,000 of the 55,000 annually allocated diversity visas would be available for use under the NCARA program.