Michael Mussi has been a United States diplomat since 2002. He has served in Egypt, Bahrain, Thailand, Iraq, Germany, and completed two assignments in Nepal. He first came to Nepal in 1988 with the US Peace Corps, through which he served as a teacher and a teacher trainer in Jumla. Following a year of teaching maths, science, and English at a school in Narakot of the district, he then trained maths and science teachers from four Karnali districts in Jumla’s district headquarters. Mussi is currently serving as Consular Chief, US Embassy in Kathmandu.
Onlinekhabar talked to him about various aspects of the US Diversity Visa (DV) that has been attracting a lot of youth in Nepal every year.
As Covid-19 has hit the world globally and the US has also been affected badly, are there any changes on the rules for DV this year? Are fewer people likely be granted DV this year?
The Diversity Visa Programme is based on US law, and this includes 55,000 diversity visas each year. The programme this year includes the same number; the registration this year will follow the same process as last year. There is also no fee for registration. The electronic DV (e-DV) entry form can be found on the official website.
The programme is tied to the US fiscal year, October 1 to September 30. The fiscal year 2021 began on October 1, 2020. Each fiscal year, parts of the two year-programmes are in the process. This fiscal year, many of those selected for the 2021 Diversity Visa Programme will have an opportunity for an interview.
Currently, a presidential proclamation has prevented those with new diversity visas from entering the US, and the proclamation will be in effect until December 31, 2020. But, the registration for the 2022 Diversity Visa Programme opened on October 7, 2020. Selectees will be notified starting May 8, 2021.
It is said many Nepalis who had been selected for the DV last year could not go to the US. Is that true?
In order to protect the US labour market, a presidential proclamation stopped the entry to the US for certain immigrants, including the DV holders. Therefore, interviewing for new applicants was temporarily discontinued. Since the time available to conduct visa interviews decreased, the number of applicants we were able to interview decreased too, and the number of those who qualified subsequently decreased.
What are the general eligibility criteria to be selected for the DV?
The selection process is completely random and conducted by the Kentucky Consular Centre (KCC). One needs to register according to the instructions found on the DV website, list all family members, including all biographic and passport information for each member. Also, provide a personal email address, and submit a photo for each member of the family. Qualifying for a visa once someone has been selected and getting scheduled for an interview is the second part of the process.
General eligibility criteria are as follows: 1) the selected applicant must have passed at least the grade 12 education, 2) the selected applicant must have a clean police record, 3) the selected applicant must have good health, and 4) the selected applicant must have a credible plan to be able to support her/himself and her/his family.
Is it true that better educated and more qualified people have higher chances of being selected?
The selection process is performed completely randomly by a computer and does not depend in any way on education or experience. However, once selected, those who have passed grade 12 and passed the interview have a higher chance of qualifying for the visa.
Will Nepalis who are selected for the DV get the same opportunities as the American citizens?
Those who qualify for diversity visas are eligible to live wherever they wish in the United States. They are permitted to work or study wherever they wish are qualified to, or they may begin a business if they wish. So they are free to decide how and where they would like to build their new lives.
As the Consular Chief at the US Embassy in Kathmandu, what would you advise to those Nepalis aspiring to immigrate to the US?
For those who have already passed their grade 12 level, a diversity visa provides an opportunity to immigrate to the US. However, those who have not yet passed should consider not applying before they clear their exams. It is also important to have a strong plan to build a new life in the US because it is not easy. Moving to another country, starting a new life is hard and has many challenges. So, one should think carefully before registering and, even if selected, whether one should proceed with the interview process.
