Thousands of DV winners sue Biden administration, 3800 Nepalese denied visas

KATHMANDU: Thousands of DV winners have filed lawsuits against the Biden administration for failing to issue visas.

According to lawyer Curtis Morrison, a lawsuit has been filed against the Biden government on behalf of 24,089 DV winners in the fiscal year 2021.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US will not immediately issue visas to foreigners, so the possibility of 2021 DV winners going to the US is almost lost.

The DV winner will have to get visas by September. However, a case has been filed, seeking the visas, as there are less than four months left. 

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of DV winners from 142 countries. The 2021 Nepali DV winners are also worried as the US Embassy in Kathmandu is not issuing visas.

They have written letters to the Department of State and the US Embassy urging them to initiate the interview environment in compliance with health standards. Although 3,801 Nepalis won the DV lottery in the fiscal year 2021, they have not been able to get a visa yet. 

Excited to announce we have filed complaint for our 24,089 #GoodluckvBiden plaintiffs in the District Court for District of Columbia (case #1:21-cv-01530). So grateful to our amazing team that made this possible. We will release more information tomorrow. #DV2021 pic.twitter.com/4dBKLlXMlt

— Curtis Morrison (@curtisatlaw) June 7, 2021

However, due to the prohibitory orders issued in Kathmandu, the US Embassy has postponed all visa appointments. Although the 2021 DV winners have not been decided yet, the Embassy has requested to fill up the DS-260 form soon.