[snowy2011]

this is a disgrace... how can they do this to people, provide you with absolute hope and dream and then take it all away in an instant.......
what a joke

[Jager Man]

No idea what to say at all. I'm so disappointed seriously relaxed my plans for trying to stay on working in the US. The difference between getting a job when you need to get sponsored and having a green card is night and day. Very upset about this, don't know how the g/f will react when she finds this out...

[Damo2k]

Some guys on forums.immigration.com speculated this about a week ago, and got a load of abuse saying they were sore losers that they didn't win. Guess they were right though.

[BuffyBot]

Interesting turn of events, to be sure..

[Damo2k]

Originally Posted by snowy2011

this is a disgrace... how can they do this to people, provide you with absolute hope and dream and then take it all away in an instant.......
what a joke

In fairness getting selected for next stage doesn't guarantee you a green card also.

[Jager Man]

Originally Posted by Damo2k

In fairness getting selected for next stage doesn't guarantee you a green card also.

Ah in fairness there's a pretty low chance of that happening as long as you stick by the guidelines, unless you have a super low number. Either way this is a serious kick in the balls for people, like me, who over the past two weeks have told all my family, close friends, and colleagues, spent time meeting with previous winners/lawyers/ potential employers about this.

Serious let down by the system, shocking stuff.

[Damo2k]

I still though there was only as 50% chance of been called for the interview then, since 100,000 get notification, then they issue out 50,000 green cards, anyways I can understand how much of a blow it must be. I would myself like to get a green card. Been applying for a few years now.

[newbeginnings]

Im a winner this year, well i was but whats ment to be will be, so dont get too hung up on the results, im not..
To username 'the noboby', thanks for all the great info, having only got some kind of confirmation from an attorney in New York that i was eligable on Educational requirements, it somewhat lifted my spirits, but guessing today being Friday the 13th, all we can do is laugh :-)

[burrentech]

Originally Posted by newbeginnings

Im a winner this year, well i was but whats ment to be will be, so dont get too hung up on the results, im not..
To username 'the noboby', thanks for all the great info, having only got some kind of confirmation from an attorney in New York that i was eligable on Educational requirements, it somewhat lifted my spirits, but guessing today being Friday the 13th, all we can do is laugh :-)

That couldn't have announced it on a better(worse) day! Oh well fingers crossed for the next time.

[PeakOutput]

very harsh news for people who thought they were in and more suspense for the rest of us

[Aprilmay]

Here is the latest from the lottery
http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/




**IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE 2012 DIVERSITY LOTTERY PROGRAM**

We regret to inform you that, due to a computer programming problem, the results of the 2012 Diversity Lottery that were previously posted on this website have been voided. They were not valid and were posted in error. The results were not valid because they did not represent a fair, random selection of entrants, as required by U.S. law.

If you checked this website during the first week in May and found a notice that you had been selected for further processing or a notice that you had not been selected, that notice has been rescinded and is no longer valid.

A new selection process will be conducted based on the original entries for the 2012 program.

If you submitted a qualified entry from October 5, 2010 to November 3, 2010, your entry remains with us. It will be included in the new selection lottery. Your confirmation number to check results on this website is still valid.

We expect the results of the new selection process to be available on this website on or about July 15, 2011.

We regret any inconvenience this might have caused.

Click here to view a message from David T. Donahue, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Visa Services:



Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why was it necessary to invalidate the names that were selected?

U.S. law requires that Diversity Immigrant visas be made available through a strictly random process. A computer programming error resulted in a selection that was not truly random.

Since the computer programming error caused an outcome that was not random, the outcome did not meet the requirements of the law, and would have been unfair to many DV entrants.

Q: Is the 2012 Diversity Visa Program cancelled?

No. The 2012 program will continue. The computer programming error has been identified and corrected. The Department of State will run a new selection using all the qualified entries (ones received between October 5, 2010 and November 3, 2010) it received for the 2012 program.

Q: Do I have to submit a new application?

No. You may not submit a new application. We will use all qualified entries received during the October 5 to November 3, 2010 registration period.

Q: Will you open a new entry period?

New entries will not be accepted.

Q: I checked the Entry Status Check website after May 1 and it said I had been selected. Can I apply for a DV visa?

Unfortunately results previously posted on this website were not valid because the selection process was not fair or random. We will take the entries of all individuals who sent in their registration during the original October 5 to November 3, 2010 time period and run a new lottery. We regret any inconvenience or disappointment this has caused. We expect new results to be available on this website on or about July 15, 2011.

Q: How can I check the results of the new selection?

The new results should be available on this website on or about July 15, 2011. The confirmation code you received when you registered is still valid for use on the website.

Q: Was the Department of State hacked? Was my personal information at risk?

We have no evidence that this problem was caused by any intentional act. No unauthorized party accessed data related to the DV program.

This appears to be solely the result of a computer programming error.

[baltazar]

iThis really is a joke!! To find out that you have won the lottery only to have it taken away 2 weeks later.

I'm in the fortunate position of having a relatively good job here in Ireland that for now seems relatively secure. I know there must be people on here who were informed that they had won who may well have been made redundant during this recession and this could well have been a golden opportunity for these people. For anyone in that position I have incredible sympathy for and it really puts my disappointment into perspective.

I wonder how many people of the millions who checked at the beginning of May and on finding out they weren't successful discrded their original confirmation numbers. I'd imagine some people would have discarded or deleted after finding out they were not succesful. As far as Im aware there is no way of finding out your confirmation number and there is no mail notification system in place so there now could be a number of selectees who potentailly will not even know that they have been selected when the lottey is re-run.

Ah well, roll on the 15t of July, we're not completely out of the unning yet!

[Aprilmay]

Originally Posted by baltazar

iThis really is a joke!! To find out that you have won the lottery only to have it taken away 2 weeks later.

I'm in the fortunate position of having a relatively good job here in Ireland that for now seems relatively secure. I know there must be people on here who were informed that they had won who may well have been made redundant during this recession and this could well have been a golden opportunity for these people. For anyone in that position I have incredible sympathy for and it really puts my disappointment into perspective.

I wonder how many people of the millions who checked at the beginning of May and on finding out they weren't successful discrded their original confirmation numbers. I'd imagine some people would have discarded or deleted after finding out they were not succesful. As far as Im aware there is no way of finding out your confirmation number and there is no mail notification system in place so there now could be a number of selectees who potentailly will not even know that they have been selected when the lottey is re-run.

Ah well, roll on the 15t of July, we're not completely out of the unning yet!

You don't need your confirmation number -We never bothered checking the site to see if we were selected, we just got our forms in the post telling us we were selected. So if anyone is lucky enough to be selected again in the next round they will be informed by post.No worries there! but it is a bummer for anyone who thought they got it this time.

[baltazar]

As far as i know they did away with posting out forms and winning notifications this year so it's solely up to the person to check online using their confirmation number and then download the forms to submit them. They might post out winning notifications this year after all that has gone on.

[Aprilmay]

Originally Posted by baltazar

As far as i know they did away with posting out forms and winning notifications this year so it's solely up to the person to check online using their confirmation number and then download the forms to submit them. They might post out winning notifications this year after all that has gone on.

That's not good then because as you said people may not still have their number they will have to make allowance for this. Ours was DV 2010 and we were just posted out our forms. We were away on holidays when the results were posted and we forgot to check on-line so the first contact we got was by post.