The U.S. Diversity Immigrant Visa (DIV) 2022 lottery began accepting applications yesterday (October 7), after the U.S. announced that it was eliminating special treatment for Hong Kong due to the implementation of Hong Kong’s version of the National Security Law. In the current lottery, the U.S. has included Hong Kong as part of China, and Hong Kong residents are therefore no longer eligible to participate in the green card lottery.
The new lottery will accept applications from October 7 to November 10, offering 55,000 green card slots that could be filled by those who complete the interview and other procedures as soon as 2022. Chinese nationals cannot participate in the lottery because the number of Chinese immigrants in the program exceeds the quota.
Prior to the implementation of the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law, Hong Kong was considered an autonomous region by Washington and its residents were eligible to participate in the lottery. According to statistics, more than 30,000 Hong Kong residents and their families had applied for the last round of the lottery.
In the announcement of the program yesterday, residents born in Macau or Taiwan are still eligible for the lottery.
The program provides that if the lottery applicant is a professional or skilled worker, he or she can also immigrate by applying for an employment visa or by investing not less than $900,000 in an investment-based immigrant program in an area with high unemployment or a rural area.
In addition to China and Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, the United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam are also ineligible for the lottery.
In response to China’s introduction of Hong Kong’s version of the National Security Law, U.S. President Trump announced on May 29 that Hong Kong’s special trade status would be revoked. The U.S. Department of Commerce announced on June 26 that it was temporarily revoking the special treatment granted by the United States to Hong Kong.
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs passed the Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act on October 1. The bill would provide “Temporary Protected Status” for Hong Kongers and make Hong Kong independent of mainland China in immigration policy categories, and promote international cooperation to protect Hong Kong’s refugee status, especially for those who play a role in protests. The bill also encourages like-minded allies to provide asylum to those who have played an important role in Beijing’s oppression and to expedite the processing of politically persecuted Hong Kongers. The bill also encourages like-minded allies to provide asylum to Hong Kongers oppressed by Beijing.
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