Resumption and Re-registration for Green Card Lottery from October 18

Registration for the United States Green Card lottery, which was halted due to "technical issues," will resume on October 18. According to the U.S. Virtual Embassy in Iran, all individuals who previously filled out the relevant forms must re-register. The website of the "U.S. Virtual Embassy in Iran" states that registration for the 2019 Green Card lottery will resume. The notice mentions that due to "ensuring fairness and protecting the integrity of the lottery process," all individuals who filled out the forms before October 18, 2017, must re-register. Therefore, if someone registered before October 18, 2017, that registration will not be included in the lottery, and they must re-register. Additionally, individuals who register more than once during the newly designated period will be disqualified from the lottery. This year's registration will start at noon (Eastern Time) on Wednesday, October 18, and will end at noon on Wednesday, November 22. The notice from the embassy states that the reason for this interruption was a technical malfunction, and the applicants' information has "not been hacked." On these pages, you can read about the Green Card lottery, eligible countries, conditions, and more information. The U.S. Virtual Embassy in Iran had previously stated that the 2019 Green Card lottery for Iranian applicants began on October 3 and would continue until noon on Tuesday, November 7. As a result, the new deadline for registration has also changed. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, issued a decree earlier in October imposing new barriers and restrictions for citizens of eight countries wishing to travel to the United States. Iran is among these countries, as in the previous decree by Mr. Trump. According to the imposed restrictions, Iranian citizens, whether immigrants or non-immigrants, are currently banned from entering the U.S., except for those holding student visas "F" and "M" and exchange visas "J." However, these individuals must also be thoroughly scrutinized. According to the U.S. Department of State, these restrictions do not apply to individuals who have legal and permanent residency in the United States; individuals who obtain entry permission on or after the effective date of this order, dual nationals, citizens with diplomatic visas, "C" visas (for travel to the United Nations), "G" visas 1 to 4, and foreign citizens who have been granted asylum are also excluded. Mr. Trump's decree will 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 more than two decades at the behest of the U.S. Congress for citizens of eligible countries. The names of the winners of the 2019 lottery will be announced on May 18, 2018. According to the "U.S. Virtual Embassy in Iran," more than 14 million people from around the world participated in the U.S. Green Card lottery for 2018.