"If an applicant is unable to appear on his/her scheduled date, he or she has to submit a letter to the Embassy informing the official of the delay so that his/her interview can be rescheduled," says an embassy release.

It said the embassy had allowed DV applicants to appear late without prior authorisation in the previous years but now it has changed the policy.

The embassy will no longer allow DV applicants to appear for an interview after their scheduled date without permission, the release said.

Any DV applicant appearing after his/her scheduled interview date will be turned away and re-scheduled for a later date.