Green Card Winners Risk Losing Chance to Come to U.S.

Thousands of families around the world, including Kenya, are at risk of losing a rare opportunity to immigrate to the United States this year.

As of June 2021, because of what the Biden administration says are Covid-19-related  restraints, the State Department had only processed about 3% of the total 55,000 visa applications.

The U.S. government must process the applications of lottery winners before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, or else the winners will lose their shot at a green card.

For the past three decades, the Diversity Visa Program has awarded a path to legal permanent residence to about 55,000 people each year from countries with low levels of immigration to the U.S. Each applicant has a less than 1% chance of winning a green card.