Federal Judge Dismisses Visa Lottery Lawsuit

Federal judge Amy Berman Jackson dismissed a class action lawsuit filed by foreign nationals who were denied green cards because of a computer glitch during this year’s visa lottery selection. The plantiffs were first notified by the State Department that they had won permanent residency in the United States due to the random lottery drawing, but the State Department realized that a computer glitch causes most of the winners to be picked from only a small sample of applicants.

The foreign nationals were seeking recognition of the original lottery results.

Each year, the United States awards 50,000 green cards through the visa lottery. Applicants are usually from countries that are underrepresented in other visa programs, but green cards are handed out randomly without consideration of our national interest. A bill offered by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) is currently being considered by the House Judiciary Department that would end the visa lottery. The bill (H.R.704) is part of NumbersUSA’s “5 Great Immigration-Reduction Solutions”.

While the judge empathized with the plaintiffs in the case, she ruled on the side of the State Department since the computer glitch caused some applicants to favored over others.

More than 15 million foreign nationals apply for green cards each year through the Visa Lottery program, however, the Government Accountability Office and the former Inspector Generals for the State Department have identified security flaws within the program.