The procedures and the reliability of Diversity Visa notifications, from the time it is first posted through the start of the fiscal year when winners can start processing, are completely entrenched. It is reasonable for people to depend on their government not to play fast and loose with a procedure that has been in place for years. Believing in early May that they could file their immigration paperwork, many families changed their travel plans, scheduled appointments with civil surgeons to undertake expensive, mandatory medical tests, hired law firms to file the immigration papers, and otherwise expended substantial time, effort, and money to file for their immigration visas.
We believe that the government slamming the door on thousands of applicants deprives them of the life, liberty or property without due process of law. Hence, there is the talk of a potential class action lawsuit against the U.S. government for accountability, and to require consistency and transparency in their dealings with the public.
"the Departments of State and Homeland Security have seriously undermined the stability and predictability of U.S. immigration law."
Individuals and Employers Suffered Substantial Damages
The actions experienced by winners include: canceling foreign travel or abrupt arrangements to return to the U.S., expenses for medical exams and other supporting documentation, expenses for legal fees, travel for medical exams, time off from work, and the list goes on. We also know that winners relied on the Diversity Visa notification to make strategic decisions in connection with their immigration matters that are now to their detriment.
National Press
The matter has also been covered in the national press. Articles appeared in the Washington Post and the New York Times. The articles cover several key points, for example, they include the fact that the actions of the USCIS impacted individuals and families who were following the rules and were doing everything legally. The Washington Post article raises the question of xxxxxxxx.