THE ENTRY
There is only one
way to enter the DV-2005 lottery. Applicants must submit an Electronic Diversity Visa Entry
Form (EDV Entry Form), which is accessible only at
http://www.dvlottery.state.gov. Failure to complete the form in its entirety
will disqualify the applicant’s entry. Applicants will be asked to submit the
following information on the EDV Entry Form.
1. FULL
NAME - Last/Family Name, First Name, Middle name
2.
DATE OF BIRTH - Day, Month, Year
3. GENDER
- Male or Female
4. CITY/TOWN OF
BIRTH
5. COUNTRY OF
BIRTH - The name of the country should be that which is currently in
use for the place where the applicant was born.
6. APPLICANT
PHOTOGRAPH - See page 2 for information on photo
specifications.
7. MAILING
ADDRESS - Address, City/Town, District/Country/Province/State, Postal
Code/Zip Code, Country
8. PHONE
NUMBER (optional)
9. E-MAIL
ADDRESS (optional)
10. COUNTRY OF
ELIGIBILITY IF THE APPLICANT’S NATIVE COUNTRY IS DIFFERENT FROM COUNTRY OF
BIRTH - If the applicant is claiming nativity in a country other than
his/her place of birth, this information must be submitted on the entry. If an
applicant is claiming nativity through spouse or parent, please indicate this
on the entry.
11. MARRIAGE
STATUS - Yes or No
12. NUMBER OF
CHILDREN THAT ARE UNMARRIED AND UNDER 21 YEARS OF AGE
13. SPOUSE
INFORMATION - Name, Date of Birth, Gender, City/Town of Birth,
Country of Birth, Photograph
14. CHILDREN
INFORMATION - Name, Date of Birth, Gender, City/Town of Birth,
Country of Birth, Photograph
NOTE:
Entries must include the name, date and place of birth of the applicant’s
spouse and all natural children, as well as all legally-adopted and
stepchildren, who are unmarried and under the age of 21, excepting those
children who are already U.S. citizens or Legal Permanent Residents, even if
you are no longer legally married to the child’s parent, and even if the
spouse or child does not currently reside with you and/or will not immigrate
with you. Note that married children and children 21 years or older will not
qualify for the diversity visa. Failure to list all children will result in
your disqualification for the visa. (See question 11 on the list of Frequently
Asked Questions.)
SELECTION OF
APPLICANTS
Applicants will be
selected at random by computer from among all qualified entries.
Those selected will be notified by mail between May and July 2004 and will be
provided further instructions, including information on fees connected with
immigration to the U.S. Persons not selected will NOT receive any
notification. U.S. embassies and consulates will not be able to
provide a list of successful applicants. Spouses and unmarried children under
age 21 of successful applicants may also apply for visas to accompany or
follow to join the principal applicant. DV-2005 visas will be issued between
October 1, 2004 and September 30, 2005.
In order to
actually receive a visa, applicants selected in the random drawing must meet
ALL eligibility requirements under U.S. law. Processing of entries
and issuance of diversity visas to successful applicants and their eligible
family members MUST occur by midnight on September 30, 2005. Under no
circumstances can diversity visas be issued or adjustments approved after this
date, nor can family members obtain diversity visas to follow to join the
applicant in the U.S. after this date.
Important
Notice
NO fee is charged
to enter the annual DV program. The U.S. Government employs no
outside consultants or private services to operate the DV program. Any
intermediaries or others who offer assistance to prepare DV casework for
applicants do so without the authority or consent of the U.S. Government. Use
of any outside intermediary or assistance to prepare a DV entry is entirely at
the applicant's discretion.
A qualified entry
submitted electronically directly by an applicant has an equal chance of being
selected by the computer at the Kentucky Consular Center as does an entry
submitted electronically through a paid intermediary who completes the entry
for the applicant. Every entry received during the lottery registration period
will have an equal random chance of being selected within its region. However,
receipt of more than one entry per person will disqualify the person from
registration, regardless of the source of the entry.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT DV
REGISTRATION
1. WHAT DOES THE
TERM "NATIVE" MEAN? ARE THERE ANY SITUATIONS IN WHICH PERSONS WHO WERE NOT
BORN IN A QUALIFYING COUNTRY MAY APPLY?
"Native" ordinarily means
someone born in a particular country, regardless of the individual's current
country of residence or nationality. But for immigration purposes “native” can
also mean someone who is entitled to be “charged” to a country other than the
one in which he/she was born under the provisions of Section 202(b) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act.
For example, if a
principal applicant was born in a country that is not eligible for this year’s
DV program, he/she may claim “chargeability” to the country where his/her
derivative spouse was born, but he/she will not be issued a DV-1 unless the
spouse is also eligible for and issued a DV-2, and both must enter the U.S.
together on the DVs. In a similar manner, a minor dependent child can be
“charged” to a parent’s country of birth.
Finally, any applicant born
in a country ineligible for this year’s DV program can be “charged” to the
country of birth of either parent as long as neither parent was a resident of
the ineligible country at the time of the applicant’s birth. In general,
people are not considered residents of a country in which they were not born
or legally naturalized if they are only visiting the country temporarily or
stationed in the country for business or professional reasons on behalf of a
company or government.
An applicant who claims
alternate chargeability must include information to that effect on the
application for registration.
2. ARE THERE ANY
CHANGES OR NEW REQUIREMENTS IN THE APPLICATION PROCEDURES FOR THIS DIVERSITY
VISA REGISTRATION?
All DV-2005 lottery
entries must be submitted electronically at www.dvlottery.state.gov between
Saturday, November 1, 2003 and Tuesday, December 30, 2003. No paper entries
will be accepted.
The Department of State
implemented an electronic registration system in order to make the Diversity
Visa process more efficient and secure. The Department will utilize special
technology and other means to identify applicants who commit fraud for the
purposes of illegal immigration or who submit multiple entries.
The signature requirement
on the DV entry has been eliminated and the DV-2005 Diversity Immigrant Visa
Program registration period will run from November 1 through December 30. The
other major change from last year is that natives of Russia will not be
eligible to apply for a diversity visa. (Please see question 4 below for a
description of why natives of certain countries do not qualify for the DV
Program.)
3. ARE SIGNATURES
AND PHOTOGRAPHS REQUIRED FOR EACH FAMILY MEMBER, OR ONLY FOR THE PRINCIPAL
APPLICANT?
Signatures are not
required on the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form. Recent and individual
photos of the applicant, his/her spouse and all children under 21 years of age
required. Family or group photos are not accepted. Check the information on
the photo requirements on page 2 of this bulletin.
4. WHY DO
NATIVES OF CERTAIN COUNTRIES NOT QUALIFY FOR THE DIVERSITY
PROGRAM?
Diversity visas are
intended to provide an immigration opportunity for persons from countries
other than the countries which send large numbers of immigrants to the U.S.
The law states that no diversity visas shall be provided for natives of "high
admission" countries. The law defines this to mean countries from which a
total of 50,000 persons in the Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based visa
categories immigrated to the United States during the previous five years.
Each year, the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) adds the
family and employment immigrant admission figures for the previous five years
in order to identify the countries whose natives must be excluded from the
annual diversity lottery. Because there is a separate determination made
before each annual DV entry period, the list of countries whose natives do not
qualify may change from one year to the next.
5. WHAT IS THE
NUMERICAL LIMIT FOR DV-2005?
By law, the U.S. diversity
immigration program makes available a maximum of 55,000 permanent residence
visas each year to eligible persons. However, the Nicaraguan Adjustment and
Central American Relief Act (NACARA) passed by Congress in November 1997
stipulates that beginning as early as DV-99, and for as long as necessary,
5,000 of the 55,000 annually-allocated diversity visas will be made available
for use under the NACARA program. The actual reduction of the limit to 50,000
began with DV-2000 and remains in effect for the DV-2005 program.
6. WHAT ARE THE
REGIONAL DIVERSITY VISA (DV) LIMITS FOR DV-2005?
The Bureau of Citizenship
and Immigration Services (BCIS) determines the DV regional limits for each
year according to a formula specified in Section 203(c) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (INA). Once the BCIS has completed the calculations, the
regional visa limits will be announced.
7. WHEN WILL
ENTRIES FOR THE DV-2005 PROGRAM BE ACCEPTED?
The DV-2005 entry period
will begin on Saturday, November 1, 2003 and will last for 60 days through
Tuesday, December 30, 2003. Each year millions apply for the program during
the registration period. The massive volume of entries creates an enormous
amount of work in selecting and processing successful applicants. Holding the
entry period during November and December will ensure successful applicants
are notified in a timely manner, and gives both them and our embassies and
consulates time to prepare and complete entries for visa issuance.
8. MAY PERSONS WHO
ARE IN THE U.S. APPLY FOR THE PROGRAM?
Yes, an applicant may be
in the U.S. or in another country, and the entry may be submitted from the
U.S. or from abroad.
9. IS EACH
APPLICANT LIMITED TO ONLY ONE ENTRY DURING THE ANNUAL DV REGISTRATION
PERIOD?
Yes, the law allows only
one entry by or for each person during each registration period;
applicants for whom more than one entry is submitted will be
disqualified. The Department of State will employ sophisticated
technology and other means to identify individuals that submit multiple
entries during the registration period. Applicants submitting more than one
entry will be disqualified and an electronic record will be permanently
maintained by the Department of State. Applicants may apply for the program
each year during the regular registration period.
10. MAY A HUSBAND
AND A WIFE EACH SUBMIT A SEPARATE ENTRY?
Yes, a husband and a wife
may each submit one entry if each meets the eligibility requirements. If
either were selected, the other would be entitled to derivative status.
11. WHAT FAMILY MEMBERS MUST I INCLUDE ON MY DV
ENTRY?
On your entry you
must list your spouse, that is husband or wife, and all unmarried
children under 21 years of age, with the exception of a child who is already a
U.S. citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident. You must list your spouse even if
you are currently separated from him/her. However, if you are legally
divorced, you do not need to list your former spouse. For customary marriages,
the important date is the date of the original marriage ceremony, not the date
on which the marriage is registered. You must list ALL your children
who are unmarried and under 21 years of age, whether they are your
natural children, your spouse’s children by a previous marriage, or children
you have formally adopted in accordance with the laws of your country, unless
a child is already a U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Resident. List
all children under 21 years of age even if they no longer reside with you or
you do not intend for them to immigrate under the DV program.
The fact that you have
listed family members on your entry does not mean that they later must travel
with you. They may choose to remain behind. However, if you include an
eligible dependent on your visa application forms that you failed to include
on your original entry, your case will be disqualified. (This only applies to
persons who were dependents at the time the original application was
submitted, not those acquired at a later date.) Your spouse may still submit a
separate entry, even though he or she is listed on your entry, as long as both
entries include details on all dependents in your family. See question 10
above.
12. MUST EACH APPLICANT SUBMIT HIS/HER OWN ENTRY, OR
MAY SOMEONE ACT ON BEHALF OF AN APPLICANT?
Applicants may prepare and
submit their own entries, or have someone submit the entry for them.
Regardless of whether an entry is submitted by the applicant directly, or
assistance is provided by an attorney, friend, relative, etc., only one entry
may be submitted in the name of each person. If the entry is selected, the
notification letter will be sent only to the mailing address provided on the
entry.
13. WHAT ARE THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR EDUCATION OR WORK EXPERIENCE?
The law and regulations
require that every applicant must have at least a high school education or its
equivalent or, within the past five years, have two years of work experience
in an occupation requiring at least two years training or experience. A "high
school education or equivalent" is defined as successful completion of a
twelve-year course of elementary and secondary education in the United States
or successful completion in another country of a formal course of elementary
and secondary education comparable to a high school education in the United
States. Documentary proof of education or work experience should not be
submitted with the lottery entry, but must be presented to the consular
officer at the time of the visa interview. To determine eligibility based on
work experience, definitions from the Department of Labor’s O*Net OnLine
database will be used.
14. HOW WILL
SUCCESSFUL ENTRANTS BE SELECTED?
At the Kentucky Consular
Center, all entries received from each region will be individually
numbered. After the end of the registration period, a computer will
randomly select entries from among all the entries received for each
geographic region. Within each region, the first entry randomly selected will
be the first case registered, the second entry selected the second
registration, etc. All entries received during the registration period will
have an equal chance of being selected within each region. When an entry has
been selected, the applicant will be sent a notification letter by the
Kentucky Consular Center, which will provide visa application instructions.
The Kentucky Consular Center will continue to process the case until those who
are selected are instructed to appear for visa interviews at a U.S. consular
office, or until those able to do so apply at a BCIS office in the United
States for change of status.
15. MAY WINNING
APPLICANTS ADJUST THEIR STATUS WITH BCIS?
Yes, provided they are
otherwise eligible to adjust status under the terms of Section 245 of the INA,
selected applicants who are physically present in the United States may apply
to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) for adjustment of
status to permanent resident. Applicants must ensure that BCIS can
complete action on their cases, including processing of any overseas
derivatives, before September 30, 2005, since on that date registrations for
the DV-2005 program expire. No visa numbers for the DV-2005 program will be
available after midnight on September 30, 2005 under any
circumstances.
16. WILL
APPLICANTS WHO ARE NOT SELECTED BE INFORMED?
No, applicants who are not
selected will receive no response to their entry. Only those who are selected
will be informed. All notification letters are sent within about nine months
of the end of the application period to the address indicated on the entry.
Anyone who does not receive a letter will know that his/her application has
not been selected.
17. HOW MANY
APPLICANTS WILL BE SELECTED?
There are 50,000
DV visas available for DV-2005, but more than that number of
individuals will be selected. Because it is likely that some of the first
50,000 persons who are selected will not qualify for visas or
pursue their cases to visa issuance, more than 50,000 entries
will be selected by the Kentucky Consular Center to ensure that all of the
available DV visas are issued. However, this also means that there will not be
a sufficient number of visas for all those who are initially selected. All
applicants who are selected will be informed promptly of their place on the
list. Interviews with those selected will begin in early October 2004. The
Kentucky Consular Center will send appointment letters to selected applicants
four to six weeks before the scheduled interviews with U.S. consular officers
at overseas posts. Each month visas will be issued, visa number availability
permitting, to those applicants who are ready for issuance during that month.
Once all of the 50,000 DV visas have been issued, the program
for the year will end. In principle, visa numbers could be finished before
September 2005. Selected applicants who wish to receive visas must be prepared
to act promptly on their cases. Random selection by the Kentucky
Consular Center computer does not automatically guarantee that you will
receive a visa.
18. IS THERE A
MINIMUM AGE FOR APPLICANTS TO APPLY FOR THE DV PROGRAM?
There is no minimum age to
apply for the program, but the requirement of a high school education or work
experience for each principal applicant at the time of application will
effectively disqualify most persons who are under age 18.
19. ARE THERE ANY
FEES FOR THE DV PROGRAM?
There is no fee for
submitting an entry. A special DV case processing fee will be payable later by
persons whose entries are actually selected and processed at a U.S. consular
section for this year’s program. DV applicants, like other immigrant visa
applicants, must also pay the regular visa fees at the time of visa issuance.
Details of required fees will be included with the instructions sent by the
Kentucky Consular Center to applicants who are selected.
20. ARE DV
APPLICANTS SPECIALLY ENTITLED TO APPLY FOR A WAIVER OF ANY OF THE GROUNDS OF
VISA INELIGIBILITY?
No. Applicants are subject
to all grounds of ineligibility for immigrant visas specified in the
Immigration and Nationality Act. There are no special provisions for the
waiver of any ground of visa ineligibility other than those ordinarily
provided in the Act.
21. MAY PERSONS
WHO ARE ALREADY REGISTERED FOR AN IMMIGRANT VISA IN ANOTHER CATEGORY APPLY FOR
THE DV PROGRAM?
Yes, such persons may
apply for the DV program.
22. HOW LONG DO
APPLICANTS WHO ARE SELECTED REMAIN ENTITLED TO APPLY FOR VISAS IN THE DV
CATEGORY?
Persons selected in the
DV-2005 lottery are entitled to apply for visa issuance only during fiscal
year 2005, i.e., from October 2004 through September 2005. Applicants
must obtain the DV visa or adjust status by the end of the Fiscal Year
(September 30, 2005). There is no carry-over of DV benefits into the
next year for persons who are selected but who do not obtain visas during
FY-2005. Also, spouses and children who derive status from a DV-2005
registration can only obtain visas in the DV category between October 2004 and
September 2005. Applicants who apply overseas will receive an appointment
letter from the Kentucky Consular Center four to six weeks before the
scheduled appointment.
LIST OF COUNTRIES BY REGION
WHOSE NATIVES QUALIFY
The lists below show the
countries whose natives are QUALIFIED within each geographic region for this
diversity program. The determination of countries within each region is based
on information provided by the Geographer of the Department of State. The
countries whose natives do not qualify for the DV-2005 program were identified
by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) according to the
formula in Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Dependent areas overseas are included within the region of the
governing country. The countries whose natives do NOT qualify for
this diversity program (because they are the principal source countries of
Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based immigration, or "high admission"
countries) are noted in parentheses after the respective regional
lists.
AFRICA
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina
Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African
Republic
Chad
Comoros
Congo
Congo, Democratic Republic of
the
Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Djibouti
Egypt
Equatorial
Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia,
The
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sao
Tome and Principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South
Africa
Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
ASIA
Afghanistan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Burma
Cambodia
East
Timor
Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Japan
Jordan
Kuwait
Laos
Lebanon
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Nepal
North
Korea
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Sri
Lanka
Syria
Taiwan
Thailand
United Arab Emirates
Yemen
Natives of the following
Asian countries do not qualify for this year's diversity
program: China [mainland-born], India, Pakistan, South Korea, Philippines, and
Vietnam. The Hong Kong S.A.R and Taiwan do qualify and are listed above. Macau
S.A.R. also qualifies and is listed below.
EUROPE
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia
and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
(including components and dependent areas
overseas)
Estonia
Finland
France (including components and dependent
areas
overseas)
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau Special Administrative
Region
Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav
Republic
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Netherlands (including components
and dependent areas overseas)
Northern
Ireland
Norway
Poland
Portugal (including components and dependent
areas overseas)
Romania
San Marino
Serbia and
Montenegro
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Tajikistan
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
Vatican
City
Natives of the following
European countries do not qualify for this year's diversity
program: Great Britain and Russia. Great Britain (United Kingdom) includes the
following dependent areas: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman
Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena, Turks
and Caicos Islands. Note that for purposes of the diversity program only,
Northern Ireland is treated separately; Northern Ireland does qualify and is
listed among the qualifying areas.
NORTH AMERICA
The Bahamas
In North America, natives
of Canada and Mexico do not qualify for this year's diversity
program.
OCEANIA
Australia (including
components and dependent areas overseas)
Fiji
Kiribati
Marshall
Islands
Micronesia, Federated States of
Nauru
New Zealand (including
components anddependent areas overseas)Palau
Papua New Guinea
Solomon
Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Samoa
SOUTH AMERICA, CENTRAL
AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN
Antigua and
Barbuda
Argentina
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Costa
Rica
Cuba
Dominica
Ecuador
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyana
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Saint
Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
Uruguay
Venezuela
Countries in this region
whose natives do not qualify for this year's diversity
program: Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, and
Mexico.
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