E-zone, a computer institute in Kathmandu, was filled with more than 100 young Nepalese on Sunday evening, all of whom trying to get a U.S. visa through a lottery program called Diversity Visa (DV) being initiated by United States each fiscal year.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu, the Diversity Visa Program is administered on an annual basis, providing a maximum of 55,000 visas for countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
As many Nepalese want to pursue their American dream, the number of young Nepalese who filled up forms for the 2016 Diversity Visa Lottery Program has increased.
Rita Baidhya, a 21-year-old resident of the capital, said that this was the third consecutive year that she tried her luck to get a U.S. visa through the lottery scheme of the U.S. Embassy. "I am again trying my luck by filling up this form. If I get lucky, I will work and live in the U.S. next year. If not, I will try again," Baidhya said while filling up her form.
As the lottery is simply based on the luck, there are no fixed criteria for the selection process. The lottery is conducted electronically on the official website of the U.S Embassy here.
The form consists of basic information about the applicant such as his or her name, date of birth, address, qualifications, marital status, a passport size photo and contact number.
Bubina Giri, a counselor hired by E-zone, said that they are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. with no lunch breaks. She said that there are around 500 applicants a day, adding that on weekends, the number of applicants usually increase.
Though the lottery is free, the institutes charge applicants a certain fee depending on each institute. There are about 300 institutes in the capital that administer the lottery.
The visa applicants range from 18 to 40 years old with equal number of males and females.
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On Sunday, Ramhari Khadka, a 40-year-old teacher, came along with his wife, to apply in the lottery. Khadka, who has been teaching for the last 15 years, said he and his family would like to migrate to the U.S. to have a better life. He has two children.
"It's not that I am not doing well in my profession here in Nepal. But if I win in the lottery, I would can give my two children a better future in the U.S.," Khadka said.
At a time when Nepal is undergoing a political transition and lacks enough employment opportunities, DV lottery has attracted many Nepalese to try their luck.
The DV program, launched by the U.S. in 1995, was opened for applicants from Oct. 1 to Nov. 3 this year.
Published in Xinhua, November 4, 2014
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