2019 Green Card Lottery; U.S. State Department Clarifications

The U.S. virtual embassy in Iran states that the 2019 Green Card lottery for Iranian applicants began on October 3 and will continue until noon on Tuesday, November 7 (next month). However, the embassy has emphasized that the issuance of this visa will face restrictions due to a recent immigration order by Donald Trump. The 'U.S. Virtual Embassy in Iran' announced on its Facebook page that 'according to the guidelines for participating in the lottery, individuals born in Iran can register for this program.' According to this announcement, the scheduling for interviews regarding the cases is still ongoing, but 'applicants should keep in mind that the recent presidential announcement limits the entry of visa applicants to the country unless they qualify for a waiver or exception.' Donald Trump, the President of the United States, issued a decree earlier this month imposing new barriers and restrictions for citizens of eight countries wishing to travel to the United States, with Iran being among these countries. The presidential announcement stated that Iran 'has consistently failed to cooperate with the U.S. government in identifying security risks and terrorist threats, is a significant supporter of terrorism, and has refused to accept its citizens who have been ordered deported from the United States.' According to the imposed restrictions, Iranian citizens, whether as immigrants or non-immigrants, are currently prohibited from entering the U.S., except for those holding student visas 'F' and 'M' and exchange visas 'J'. However, these individuals must also be scrutinized very carefully. According to the U.S. State Department, these restrictions do not apply to individuals who have legal and permanent residency in the United States; those who receive entry permission on or after the effective date of this order, dual nationals, citizens with diplomatic visas, visas 'C' (for travel to the United Nations), visas 'G1' to 'G4', and foreign citizens who have received asylum are also exempt. The State Department stated that visas issued before the effective date of the new announcement have not been revoked, and the new order 'is limited to individuals who do not have valid visas on the effective date of this order.' The new order by Mr. Trump is set to take effect on October 18. The so-called 'diversity visa' or 'Green Card lottery' is one type of U.S. immigration visa that has been issued for over two decades at the behest of Congress for citizens of eligible countries.