By Eric Turcott
Rabat – President-elect Donald Trump has announced his planns to put an end to the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery program.
Speaking to BBC1’s Raymond Arthur, Trump said, “No more visa lottery and this year’s marks the end of the program.”
This should come as no surprise as Trump is known for his firm commitment to immigration reform. His plans include a temporary ban on Muslim immigration to the U.S., deporting all illegal immigrants and building a wall along the southern border.
Trump also intends to suspend all federal funds to “sanctuary cities,” which generally do not work with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to assist in deporting illegal immigrants.
The congressionally mandated Diversity Visa (DV) lottery program began in 1995 and provides 55,000 diversity visas which are allotted through a computerized drawing system.
These work visas are awarded to people in countries with low amounts of recent immigration to the U.S. The requirements are quite strict and include native birth to a selected country or connection to a selected country through a parent or spouse, a high school diploma or equivalent 12-year program, or the applicant must have worked 2 of the last 5 years in a position with 2 years training to make them work-ready.
In 2013 alone there were 119,443 Moroccan applicants, with only 2,068 successfully obtaining a lottery visa.
