A high number of Kenyans who won the US DV 2023 Green Card will not be migrating to the United States.
A letter sent by the US Embassy in Nairobi to an applicant on September 6, 2023, and seen by Bizna Kenya, has made it clear that starting September 7, 2023, all remaining diversity visa appointments will be cancelled regardless of what phase of the processes they are in.
This means that applicants who were in the queue for interviews at the US Embassy in Nairobi will now have to apply afresh for the upcoming general Green Card applications due to start in October.
“Dear Diversity Visa Applicant: Your visa was issued on 22nd Aug 2023 and will be sent to your DHL registered outlet. However, your derivatives will be faced with the sudden close of DV 2023 season on September 7, 2023,” the letter said.
“All remaining diversity visa appointments will be cancelled regardless of what phase of the processes they are in.”
In a separate letter to applicants, the US Embassy has also cautioned DV 2023 winners who were yet to go for interviews to avoid doing their medicals at the IOM in Nairobi since their discussions will be getting cancelled from September 7.
“The Diversity Visa 2023 program has nearly reached its annual limit of diversity visas and soon the US. Embassy will be required to stop processing diversity visas. It is estimated that the DV2023 season may close as soon as September 7, 2023,”
Letter from the Immigrant Visa Unit Consular Section at the US Embassy Nairobi to the applicant stated.
“If you choose to complete your medical exam with the panel physician (IOM), this does not guarantee you a visa interview at the Embassy because once the annual limit is reached, all remaining diversity visa appointments will be cancelled regardless of what phase of the process they are in.”
The letter advised applicants to consider if they would still like to pay to complete their medical exams, knowing that there is a high risk of the DV season closing before their appointment.
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“If you choose not to complete the medical exam at IOM, no additional action is required on your part. If you still choose to complete the medical exam, you will not be reimbursed the fees and the US Embassy cannot guarantee that your appointment will be honored,” the letter stated.
Reacting to the news, Shiku Hope, a Kenyan-American who runs a platform dedicated to helping Kenyan Green Card winners settle in the US, cautioned that unlike what many applicants believe, winning the US DV lottery does not always mean you will migrate to the US.
“Green Card being a lottery also means that being selected is just the start of the process and it doesn’t guarantee that you will get a visa,” Said Shiku.
“It’s so unfortunate that DV 2023 is officially ending. Those who had received 2NL to interview at the US embassy Nairobi anytime from tomorrow are advised not to go on with their medicals and to save their money and consider applying for DV 2025,” She added.
She advised that future applicants can increase their chances of getting the visa by filling out the DS260 form on time and transferring their case to the working embassies.
However, applicants who were quick in going through the process and have done
successful interviews at the Embassy are now headed to the US, where they can
fully enjoy their fundamental rights, including food, water, internet, and more.