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.