Publication Type: Public Service Announcement
Visa Lottery Provider: U.S. Department of State
Visa Lottery can be taken at: USA
Visa Lottery Description
The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered on an annual basis by the Department of State and conducted under the terms of Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Section 131 of the Immigration Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-649) amended INA 203 and provides for a class of immigrants known as “diversity immigrants.”
The US State Department Web site for the 2014 Diversity Visa program (DV-2014) is now open. The entry submission period for the 2014 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2014) is from noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Tuesday, October 2, 2012, to noon, EDT, Saturday, November 3, 2012.
Applicants must submit entries electronically during this registration period using the electronic DV entry form (E-DV) at www.dvlottery.state.gov. Paper entries will not be accepted. Applicants are strongly encouraged not to wait until the last week of the registration period to enter. Heavy demand may result in website delays. No entries will be accepted after noon, EDT, on November 3, 2012.
Eligible groups and geographic locations
The annual DV program makes visas available to persons meeting the simple, but strict, eligibility requirements. A computer-generated, random drawing chooses selectees for Diversity Visas. The visas are distributed among six geographic regions, with a greater number of visas going to regions with lower rates of immigration, and with no visas going to nationals of countries sending more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the period of the past five years. No single country may receive more than seven percent of the available Diversity Visas in any one year.
For DV-2014, natives of Guatemala are now eligible to enter the program.
For DV-2014, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply because the countries sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the previous five years:
Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.
A “native” ordinarily means someone born within a particular country, regardless of the individual's current country of residence or nationality. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible.
Number of Visas
Section 203(c) of the INA provides a maximum of 55,000 Diversity Visas each fiscal year to be made available to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. Fifty-five thousand immigrant visas are set aside for DV immigrants; however, since DV-1999, Congress has reserved 5,000 visas from this annual allocation to be made available for use under the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NACARA).
Visa Lottery Entry Instructions
The Department of State implemented the electronic registration system beginning with DV-2005 in order to make the Diversity Visa process more efficient and secure. We utilize special technology and other means to identify those who commit fraud for the purposes of illegal immigration or those who submit multiple entries.
For DV-2014, the Department of State will once again implement an online process to notify entrants of their selection, and to provide information about the immigrant visa application and interview. Beginning May 1, 2013, DV-2014 entrants will be able to use their unique confirmation number provided at registration to check online through Entry Status Check at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov to see if their entry was selected. Successful entrants will receive instructions for how to apply for immigrant visas for themselves and their eligible family members. Confirmation of visa interview appointments will also be made through Entry Status Check.
For detailed information about entry requirements, along with frequently asked questions about the DV program, please see the instructions for the DV-2014 Diversity Visa program available at http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html.
Please read the DV-2014 Entry Instructions carefully. Entrants may be disqualified for not completing the entry form correctly or by submitting more than one entry. To get started now, visit the official diversity visa lottery website (link below).
Important Notice
Electronic online entry in the annual DV program is FREE. The State Department does not charge any fees to enter. 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 entries 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 entrant’s discretion. The ONLY website on which people can officially register to participation in the Diversity Program is www.dvlottery.state.gov. A qualified electronic entry submitted directly by an applicant has an equal chance of being randomly selected by computer, as does a qualified electronic entry received from an outside intermediary on behalf of the applicant. However, receipt of more than one entry per person will disqualify the person from registration, regardless of the source of the entry.
Important Note:
Official notifications of selection will be made through Entrant Status Check, available starting May 1, 2013, through at least June 30, 2014, on the E-DV website www.dvlottery,state.gov. The Department of State does not send selectee notifications or letters by regular postal mail or by e-mail. Should you receive an e-mail notification or a mailed letter stating that you have been selected to receive a DV, be aware that the notification is not legitimate. Any e-mail communication you receive from the Department of State will direct you to review Entrant Status Check for new information about your application. The Department of State will never ask you to send money by mail or by services such as Western Union.
Visa Lottery Application Deadline: November 3, 2012
Open to International Applicants: Yes
Resource: Diversity Visa Program: DV-2014 Entry Instructions
Official USA Diversity Visa Lottery website
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