These visas are allocated among six geographic regions,
namely:
1.
AFRICA
2.
ASIA
3.
EUROPE
4.
NORTH AMERICA
5.
OCEANIA
6.
CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA, the CARIBBEAN
Within these regions, only natives (nativity tends to be
defined as the persons place of birth) of countries, which have low rates of
immigration are eligible. A person from a country, which has sent more than
50,000 immigrants within the last five years, is not eligible to apply for this
lottery.
There is a limit of 7% on the giving of visas to natives of
any one foreign state.
Persons born in the following countries are not eligible for
the DV lottery:
a)
Canada
b)
China (mainland born)
c)
Colombia
d)
Dominican Republic
e)
El Salvador
f)
Haiti
g)
India
h)
Jamaica
i)
Mexico
j)
Pakistan
k)
Philippines
l)
Russia
m)
South Korea
n)
United Kingdom & its dependent territories (except
Northern Ireland)
o)
Vietnam
Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan are
eligible.
There are two main requirements for eligibility:
1.
The applicant must be born
in an eligible country. If an applicant was
born in a country that has been declared ineligible, the applicant may claim
the spouse’s country of birth, provided both are issued a visa and enter the
United States together. Alternatively, under certain circumstances, the person
may claim nativity in one of the parents’ country of birth.
2.
The applicant must
have a high school education or its equivalent,
defined in the U.S. as a successful completion of a 12-year course of
elementary and secondary education; OR the applicant must have two years of work experience within the last five years in an
occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to
perform.
Entries for the DV-2006 diversity
visa lottery must be submitted electronically between Friday, November 5, 2004
and Friday, January 7, 2005. Applicants may access the electronic diversity
visa entry form at www.dvlottery.state.gov
during the registration period beginning noon November 5. Paper entries will
not be accepted. Applicants are strongly encouraged to not wait until the last
week of the registration period to enter. Heavy demand may result in delays. No
entries will be accepted after noon on January 7, 2005.
A digital photo (image) of each applicant, his/her
spouse, and children must be submitted on-line with the EDV Entry Form. The
image file can be produced either by taking a new digital photograph or by
scanning a photographic print with a digital scanner.
Before each year’s lottery
drawing, the Department of State publishes explicit instructions on how to
apply, in press releases and the Federal Register. Instructions are usually
posted in August and the registration period is usually held in October each year.
Click here for detailed instructions on how
to apply.
There is no fee for taking part in this scheme. However, if selected, there is a fee for the immigrant visa as well as a separate visa lottery surcharge.
Only those who have won the lottery draw will be notified by mail at the address listed on the application. Further instructions and information about fees, etc., will also be sent to the winners. However, winning the lottery draw does not automatically guarantee that a visa will be issued, as the number of entries selected is greater than the number of visas available, as everyone may not have all the qualifications required or may not choose to complete the processing. Once all 50,000 visas have been issued, the diversity visa program for the year comes to an end.
v
How Do I Participate in the Diversity Visa Lottery Program?
The
information in this article is of a general nature and may not apply to any
specific or particular circumstance. It is not to be construed as legal advice
and does not establish an attorney-client relationship between The Law Offices
of Cyrus S Nallaseth and the viewer.