Spam or genuine and legit e-mail from no-reply@state.gov: We regret to inform you that, because of a computer programming error, the results of the 2012 Diversity Lottery that were previously posted on the Department of State Entrant Status Check website have been voided.

Many friends of mine who participated in the DV Lottery 2012 received the following e-mail:

From no-reply@state.gov Thu May 19 21:11:41 2011
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Thu, 19 May 2011 13:11:39 -0400
Date: 19 may 11 13:11:37
From: no-reply@state.gov
Subject: eDV Lottery Confirmation Number
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May 16, 2011

Dear Diversity Visa Lottery Entrant:

We regret to inform you that, because of a computer programming error, the results of the 2012 Diversity Lottery that were previously posted on the Department of State Entrant Status Check website have been voided. The results were not valid because they did not represent a fair, random selection of entrants, as required by U.S. law. They were posted in error.

If you checked the Entrant Status Check website (http://www.dvlottery.state.gov) during the first week in May and found a notice that you had been selected for further processing or a notice that you had not been selected, that notice has been rescinded and is no longer valid.

A new selection process will be conducted based on the original entries for the 2012 program.

You submitted a qualified entry between October 5, 2010 and November 3, 2010. Your entry remains with us and will be included in the new selection lottery. Your confirmation number to check results on the Entrant Status Check website is still valid.

If you lost or destroyed your confirmation number, please click here:
https://ceac.state.gov/ccd/pls/public/edv_confirmation_num.php?p=CBE31CB232DBB40CBF48B3492EC4076A

We expect the results of the new selection process to be available on or about July 15, 2011 at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov

We regret any inconvenience or disappointment this might have caused.

[caption id="attachment_1324" align="alignleft" width="640" caption="We regret to inform you that, because of a computer programming error, the results of the 2012 Diversity Lottery that were previously posted on the Department of State Entrant Status Check website have been voided. The results were not valid because they did not represent a fair, random selection of entrants, as required by U.S. law. They were posted in error."][/caption]

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions:

Q: Why was it necessary to invalidate the names that were selected?
U.S. law requires that Diversity Immigrant visas be made available through a strictly random process. A computer programming error resulted in a selection that was not truly random.
Since the computer programming error caused an outcome that was not random, the outcome did not meet the requirements of the law, and would have been unfair to many DV entrants.

Q: Is the 2012 Diversity Visa Program cancelled?
No. The 2012 program will continue. The computer programming error has been identified and corrected. The Department of State will run a new selection using all the qualified entries submitted for the 2012 program (received between October 5, 2010 and November 3, 2010).

Q: Do I have to submit a new application?
No. You may not submit a new application. We will use all qualified entries received during the October 5 to November 3, 2010 registration period.

Q: Will you open a new entry period?
No. New entries will not be accepted.

Q: I checked the Entry Status Check website after May 1 and it said I had been selected. Can I apply for a DV visa?
Unfortunately, results previously posted on this website are not valid because the selection process was not fair or random. We will take the entries of all individuals who sent in their registration during the original October 5 to November 3, 2010 time period and run a new lottery. We regret any inconvenience or disappointment this has caused.

Q: How can I check the results of the new selection?
The new results should be available on this website on or about July 15, 2011. The confirmation code you received when you registered is still valid for use on the website.

Q: Was the Department of State hacked? Was my personal information at risk?
We have no evidence that this problem was caused by any intentional act. No unauthorized party accessed data related to the DV program.
This appears to be solely the result of a computer programming error.

Q: You said the Department of State would not contact DV entrants by e-mail. Why are you sending this one now?
Because of the computer error, we decided it was important to notify every person who might have seen incorrect information on the website. An e-mail was the fastest way to reach DV entrants.
Winners in the new selection process will not be notified by e-mail. The results of the new selection process will only be available on the Entrant Status Check website (http://www.dvlottery.state.gov) on or about July 15, 2011.

Q: I thought I was selected, and I sent application forms to the Kentucky Consular Center. What should I do now?
Those forms will not be processed by the Kentucky Consular Center, because they were submitted in connection with the lottery result that was voided. We cannot reimburse you for any costs, such as postage, that you may have paid to send these forms to the Kentucky Consular Center. You should check the Entrant Status Check website on or about July 15 to see if you are selected in the repeated lottery selection process. If you are selected again, we ask that you simply follow the instructions given in the notification letter, including the step of mailing your completed application forms to the Kentucky Consular Center, once again.

Q: I thought I was selected. I am in the United State and contacted US Citizenship and Immigration Services about adjustment of status. What should I do now?
USCIS will not process any adjustment of status cases based on the voided DV selection process. If you already paid the $440 DV fee to the USBank lockbox based on your belief that you had been selected, you may request a refund from KCC through the following mailing address:

Kentucky Consular Center
3505 Highway 25-W North
Williamsburg, Kentucky 40769

My first thought was that the web-site was hacked and that all the applicants were receiving spam. But it appeared that this was a genuine legit e-mail from the US Department of State:

http://contact-us.state.gov/cgi-bin/state.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=275&p_created=1305304990&p_sid=Yv5whruk&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_srch=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD05NCw5NCZwX3Byb2RzPSZwX2NhdHM9JnBfcHY9JnBfY3Y9JnBfc2VhcmNoX3R5cGU9YW5zd2Vycy5zZWFyY2hfbmwmcF9wYWdlPTE!&p_li=&p_topview=1

We regret to inform you that, due to a computer programming problem, the results of the 2012 Diversity Lottery that were previously posted on this website have been voided. They were not valid and were posted in error. The results were not valid because they did not represent a fair, random selection of entrants, as required by U.S. law.

If you checked this website during the first week in May and found a notice that you had been selected for further processing or a notice that you had not been selected, that notice has been rescinded and is no longer valid.

A new selection process will be conducted based on the original entries for the 2012 program.

If you submitted a qualified entry from October 5, 2010 to November 3, 2010, your entry remains with us. It will be included in the new selection lottery. Your confirmation number to check results on this website is still valid.

We expect the results of the new selection process to be available on this website on or about July 15, 2011.

[caption id="attachment_1320" align="alignleft" width="609" caption="Important notice regarding the 2012 Diversity Lottery Program: he current status of the 2012 Diversity Visa Lottery Program"][/caption]

We regret any inconvenience this might have caused.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why was it necessary to invalidate the names that were selected?

• U.S. law requires that Diversity Immigrant visas be made available through a strictly random process. A computer programming error resulted in a selection that was not truly random.

• Since the computer programming error caused an outcome that was not random, the outcome did not meet the requirements of the law, and would have been unfair to many DV entrants.

Q: Is the 2012 Diversity Visa Program cancelled?

• No. The 2012 program will continue. The computer programming error has been identified and corrected. The Department of State will run a new selection using all the qualified entries (ones received between October 5, 2010 and November 3, 2010) it received for the 2012 program.

Q: Do I have to submit a new application?

• No. You may not submit a new application. We will use all qualified entries received during the October 5 to November 3, 2010 registration period.

Q: Will you open a new entry period?

• New entries will not be accepted.

Q: I checked the Entry Status Check website after May 1 and it said I had been selected. Can I apply for a DV visa?

• Unfortunately results previously posted on this website were not valid because the selection process was not fair or random. We will take the entries of all individuals who sent in their registration during the original October 5 to November 3, 2010 time period and run a new lottery. We regret any inconvenience or disappointment this has caused. We expect new results to be available on this website on or about July 15, 2011.

Q: How can I check the results of the new selection?

• The new results should be available on this website on or about July 15, 2011. The confirmation code you received when you registered is still valid for use on the website.

Q: Was the Department of State hacked? Was my personal information at risk?

• We have no evidence that this problem was caused by any intentional act. No unauthorized party accessed data related to the DV program.

• This appears to be solely the result of a computer programming error.