Note: This post is referred from the official website of Diversity Visa Instructions of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs
Program Overview
The
Department of State annually administers the statutorily created Diversity
Immigrant
Visa Program. Section 203(c) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides for a class of immigrants known
as “diversity immigrants” from countries with historically low rates of
immigration to the United States. For
Fiscal Year 2023, up to 55,000 Diversity Visas (DVs) will be available. There is no cost to register for the DV
program.
Applicants
who are selected in the program (selectees) must meet simple but strict
eligibility requirements to qualify for a DV.
The Department of State determines selectees through a randomized
computer drawing. The Department of
State distributes diversity visas among six geographic regions, and no single
country may receive more than seven percent of the available DVs in any one year.
For
DV-2023, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply, because
more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States in
the previous five years:
Bangladesh,
Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia,
Dominican
Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica,
Mexico,
Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern
Ireland) and its dependent territories, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
Natives
of Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.
Eligibility
Requirement #1:
Natives of countries with historically low rates of
immigration to the United States may be eligible to enter.
If
you are not a native of a country with historically low rates of immigration to
the United States, there are two other ways you might be able to qualify.
•
Is
your spouse a native of a country with historically low rates of immigration to
the United States? If yes, you can claim
your spouse’s country of birth – provided that you and your spouse are named on
the selected entry, are found eligible and issued diversity visas, and enter
the United States at the same time.
•
Are
you a native of a country that does not
have historically low rates of immigration to the United States, but in which neither
of your parents was born or legally
resident at the time of your birth? If
yes, you may claim the country of birth of one of your parents if it is a
country whose natives are eligible for the DV-2023 program. For more details on what this means, see the Frequently Asked Questions.
Requirement #2:
Each DV applicant must meet the education/work experience requirement of the DV program by having
either:
•
at
least a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful
completion of a 12-year course of formal elementary and secondary
education;
OR
•
two
years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that
requires at least two years of training or experience to perform. The Department of State will use the U.S.
Department of Labor’s O*Net Online database to determine qualifying work
experience.
For
more information about qualifying work experience, see the Frequently Asked Questions.
You should not submit an
entry to the DV program unless you meet both of these requirements.
Entry period
Applicants
must submit entries for the DV-2023 program
electronically
at dvprogram.state.gov between 12:00 pm (noon), Eastern
Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Wednesday, October 6, 2021, and 12:00 pm (noon),
Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5), Tuesday, November 9, 2021. Do not wait until the last week of the
registration period to enter as heavy demand may result in website delays. No late entries or paper entries will be
accepted. The law allows only one entry
per person during each entry period. The Department of State uses sophisticated
technology to detect multiple entries.
Submission of more than one entry will render you ineligible for a DV.
Completing your Electronic Entry for the
DV-2023 Program
Submit
your Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form (E-DV Entry Form or DS-5501), online
at dvprogram.state.gov.
We will not accept incomplete entries or entries sent by any other
means. There is no cost to submit the online entry form. Please use an updated browser when submitting
your application; older browsers (Internet Explorer 8, for example) will likely
encounter problems with the online DV system.
We
strongly encourage you to complete the entry form yourself, without a “visa
consultant,” “visa agent,” or other facilitator who offers to help. If someone helps you, you should be present
when your entry is prepared so that you can provide the correct answers to the
questions and retain your unique confirmation number and a printout of your
confirmation screen. It is extremely
important that you retain the printout of your confirmation page and unique
confirmation number. Unscrupulous visa
facilitators have been known to assist entrants with their entries, retain the
confirmation page printout, and then demand more money in exchange for the confirmation number. Without this information, you will not be
able to access the online system that informs you of your entry status. Be wary if someone offers to keep this
information for you. You also should
retain access to the email account listed in your E-DV entry. See the Frequently Asked Questions
for more information about DV program scams.
You may also wish to view our video for an introduction to the DV program
and step-by-step guide to help you submit an entry.
After
you submit a complete entry, you will see a confirmation screen containing your
name and a unique confirmation number.
Print this confirmation screen for your records. Starting May 8, 2022, you will be able to
check the status of your entry by returning to dvprogram.state.gov, clicking on Entrant Status Check, and entering your unique confirmation number
and personal information. You must use Entrant Status Check to check if you
have been selected for DV-2023 and, if selected, to view instructions on how to
proceed with your application. The U.S.
government will not inform you directly.
Entrant Status Check is the
sole source for instructions on how to proceed with your application. If you are selected and submit a visa
application and required documents, you must use Entrant Status Check to check your immigrant visa interview
appointment date. Please review the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about the selection process.
You
must provide all of the following information to complete your entry. Failure to accurately include all the
required information will make you ineligible for a DV.
1. Name – last/family name, first name,
middle name – exactly as it appears on your passport (for example, if your
passport shows only your first and last/family name, please list your
last/family name and then first name; do not include a middle name unless it is
included on your passport. If your
passport includes a first, middle and last/family name, please list them in the
following order: last/family name, first
name, middle name). If you have only one
name, it must be entered in the last/family name field.
2. Gender – male or female.
3. Birth date – day, month, year.
4. City where you were born.
5. Country where you were born – Use the
name of the country currently used for the place where you were born.
6. Country of eligibility for the DV
program – Your country of eligibility will normally be the same as your country
of birth. Your country of eligibility is
not related to where you live or your nationality, if it is different from your
country of birth. If you were born in a
country that is not eligible, please review the Frequently Asked Questions to see if there is another way you
may be eligible.
7. The passport number, country of
issuance, and expiration date for your valid, unexpired international travel
passport. This requirement does not
apply to dependents. You must enter
valid international travel passport information unless you meet the
requirements for an exemption. An
exemption may apply if you are stateless, a national of a Communist-controlled
country and unable to obtain a passport from the government of the
Communist-controlled country, or the beneficiary of an individual waiver
approved by the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State. Claiming an exemption for which you are ineligible,
or failing to enter valid passport information, will make you ineligible for a
DV. For more information on whether or
not you meet an exemption, see question 12 in the Frequently Asked Questions
document.
8. Entrant photograph(s) – Recent
photographs (taken within the last six months) of yourself, your spouse, and
all your derivative children. See Submitting a Digital Photograph for compositional and technical specifications. You do not need to include a photograph for a
spouse or child who is already a U.S. citizen or a Lawful Permanent Resident,
but you will not be penalized if you do.
DV
entry photographs must meet the same standards as U.S. visa photos. You will be ineligible for a DV if the entry
photographs for you and your family members do not fully meet these
specifications or have been manipulated in any way. Submitting the same photograph that was
submitted with a prior year’s entry will make you ineligible for a DV. See Submitting a Digital
Photograph (below)
for more information.
9. Mailing Address – In Care Of
Address
Line 1
Address
Line 2
City/Town
District/Country/Province/State
Postal
Code/Zip Code Country
10.Country where you live today.
11.Phone number (optional).
12.Email address – An email address to
which you have direct access, and will continue to have direct access through
May of the next year. If you check the Entrant Status Check in May and learn
you have been selected, you will later receive follow-up email communication
from the Department of State with details if an immigrant visa
interview becomes available. The Department of State will never send you an email telling you that you have been selected
for the DV program. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about the
selection process.
13.Highest level of education you have
achieved, as of today: (1) Primary
school only, (2) Some high school, no diploma, (3) High school diploma, (4)
Vocational school, (5) Some university courses, (6) University degree, (7) Some
graduatelevel courses, (8) Master’s degree, (9) Some doctoral-level courses, or
(10) Doctorate. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about educational requirements.
14.Current marital status: (1) unmarried, (2) married and my spouse is
NOT a U.S. citizen or U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR), (3) married and my
spouse IS a U.S. citizen or U.S. LPR, (4) divorced, (5) widowed, or (6) legally
separated. Enter the name, date of
birth, gender, city/town of birth, and country of birth of your spouse, and a
photograph of your spouse meeting the same technical specifications as your
photo.
Failure
to list your eligible spouse or, listing someone who is not your spouse, will make you ineligible as the DV principal
applicant and your spouse and children ineligible as DV derivative
applicants. You must list your spouse
even if you currently are separated from him/her, unless you are legally
separated. Legal separation is an
arrangement when a couple remain married but live apart, following a court
order. If you and your spouse are
legally separated, your spouse will not be able to immigrate with you through
the DV program. You will not be penalized
if you choose to enter the name of a spouse from whom you are legally separated. If you are not legally separated by a court
order, you must include your
spouse
even if you plan to be divorced before you apply for the Diversity Visa or your
spouse does not intend to immigrate.
If
your spouse is a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident, do not list him/her
in your entry. A spouse who is already a
U.S. citizen or LPR will not require or be issued a visa. Therefore, if you select “married and my
spouse IS a U.S. citizen or U.S. LPR” on your entry, you will not be prompted
to include further information on your spouse.
See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about family
members.
15.Number of children – List the name,
date of birth, gender, city/town of birth, and country of birth for all living,
unmarried children under 21 years of age, regardless of whether they are living
with you or intend to accompany or follow to join you, should you immigrate to
the United States. Submit individual
photographs of each of your children using the same technical specifications as
your own photograph.
Be
sure to include:
o all living natural children;
o all living children legally adopted
by you; and,
o all living step-children who are
unmarried and under the age of 21 on the date of your electronic entry, even if
you are no longer legally married to the child’s parent, and even if the child
does not currently reside with you and/or will not immigrate with you.
Married
children and children who are already aged 21 or older when you submit your
entry are not eligible for the DV program.
However, the Child Status Protection Act protects children from “aging
out” in certain circumstances: if you
submit your DV entry before your unmarried child turns 21, and the child turns
21 before visa issuance, it is possible that he or she may be treated as though
he or she were under 21 for visa processing purposes.
A
child who is already a U.S. citizen or LPR when you submit your DV entry will
not require or be issued a Diversity Visa; you will not be penalized for either
including or omitting such family members from your entry.
Failure
to list all children who are eligible or listing someone who is not your child
will make you ineligible for a DV, and your spouse and children will also be
ineligible as Diversity Visa derivative applicants. See the Frequently Asked Questions for
more information about family members.
See
the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about
completing your Electronic Entry for the DV-2023 Program.
Selection of Entries
Based
on the allocations of available visas in each region and country, the
Department of State will randomly select individuals by computer from among
qualified entries. All DV-2023 entrants
must go to the Entrant Status Check
using the unique confirmation number saved from their DV-2023 online entry
registration to find out whether their entry has been selected in the DV
program. Entrant Status Check will be available on the E-DV website at dvprogram.state.gov from May 8, 2022, through at least
September 30, 2023.
If
your entry is selected, you will be directed to a confirmation page providing
further instructions, including information about fees connected with
immigration to the United States. Entrant Status Check will be the ONLY
means by which the Department of State notifies selectees of their selection
for DV-
2023. The Department of State will not mail
notification letters or notify selectees by email. U.S. embassies and consulates will not
provide a list of selectees. Individuals
who have not been selected also ONLY will be notified through Entrant Status Check. You are strongly encouraged to access Entrant Status Check yourself. Do not rely on someone else to check and
inform you.
In
order to immigrate, DV selectees must be admissible to the United States. The
DS-260,
Online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration
Application,
electronically, and the consular officer, in person, will ask you questions
about your eligibility to immigrate under U.S. law. These questions include criminal and
security-related topics.
All
selectees, including family members, must be issued visas by September
30,
2023. Under no circumstances can the
Department of State issue DVs nor can USCIS approve adjustments after this
date, nor can family members obtain DVs to follow-to-join the principal
applicant in the United States after this date.
See
the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about the selection process.
Submitting a Digital Photograph
You
can take a new digital photograph or scan a recent (taken within the last six
months) photograph with a digital scanner, as long as it meets all of the
standards below. DV entry photos must be
of the same quality and composition as U.S. visa photos. You can see examples of acceptable
photos here. Do not submit a photograph older
than six months or a photograph that does not meet all of the standards
described below. Submitting the same
photograph that you submitted with a prior year’s entry, a photograph that has
been manipulated, or a photograph that does not meet the specifications below
will make you ineligible for a DV.
Your photos or digital images must be:
•
In
color
•
In
focus
•
Sized
such that the head is between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (22 mm and 35 mm) or 50
percent and 69 percent of the image's total height from the bottom of the chin
to the top of the head. View the Photo Composition Template for more size requirement details.
•
Taken
within the last six months to reflect your current appearance
•
Taken
in front of a plain white or off-white background
•
Taken
in full-face view directly facing the camera
•
With
a neutral facial expression and both eyes open
•
Taken
in clothing that you normally wear on a daily basis
•
Uniforms
should not be worn in your photo, except religious clothing that is worn daily.
•
Do
not wear a hat or head covering that obscures the hair or hairline, unless worn
daily for a religious purpose. Your full
face must be visible, and the head covering must not cast any shadows on your
face.
•
Headphones,
wireless hands-free devices, or similar items are not acceptable in your photo.
•
Do
not wear eyeglasses.
•
If
you normally wear a hearing device or similar articles, they may be worn in
your photo.
Review
the Photo Examples to see examples of acceptable and unacceptable photos. Photos copied or digitally scanned from
driver’s licenses or other official documents are not acceptable. In addition, snapshots, magazine photos, low
quality vending machine , and full-length photographs are not acceptable.
You
must upload your digital image as part of your entry. Your digital image must be:
•
In
JPEG (.jpg) file format
•
Equal
to or less than 240 kB (kilobytes) in file size
•
In
a square aspect ratio (height must equal width)
•
600x600
pixels in dimension
Do
you want to scan an existing photo? In
addition to the digital image requirements, your existing photo must be:
•
2
x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm)
•
Scanned
at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch (12 pixels per millimeter)
Taking photos of your baby or toddler
When
taking a photo of your baby or toddler, no other person should be in the photo,
and your child should be looking at the camera with his or her eyes open.
Tip 1: Lay your baby on his or her back on a plain white or
off-white sheet. This will ensure your
baby's head is supported and provide a plain background for the photo. Make certain there are no shadows on your
baby's face, especially if you take a picture from above with the baby lying
down.
Tip 2: Cover a car seat with a plain white or off-white sheet and
take a picture of your child in the car seat.
This will also ensure your baby’s head is supported.
Reference: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/diversity-visa-program-entry/diversity-visa-instructions.html
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