US Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery (DV-2012) | Instruction & Online Application

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2. ARE THERE ANY CHANGES OR NEW REQUIREMENTS IN THE APPLICATION PROCEDURES FOR THIS DV REGISTRATION?

Yes. The registration period for DV-2012 will be 30 days in duration. Regarding scanning a photograph, the print must now be scanned at a resolution of at least 300 dots per inch (dpi), rather than the previous 150 dots per inch (dpi). All other requirements for scanning a submitted photograph are the same.

Additionally, the Entry Status Check available on the E-DV website http://www.dvlottery.state.gov will be the sole means by which DV-2012 entrants are notified of their selection, or that the entrant was not selected. The KCC will not mail selectees official notification letters, but will instead include on the selectee confirmation page, notification instructions on how to follow up on their selection and pursue a DV visa application. Entry Status Check will also be the means by which selectees are informed of their DV visa interview appointment date. The KCC will not sending selectees mailed letters informing them of their interview appointment.

Entry Status Check will be available for DV-2012 beginning May 1, 2011. If you applied for the DV-2011 program, you may check the status of your entry until the end of June 2011. All other requirements for DV-2012 remain the same.

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3. ARE SIGNATURES AND PHOTOGRAPHS REQUIRED FOR EACH FAMILY MEMBER, OR ONLY FOR THE PRINCIPAL ENTRANT?

Signatures are not required on the E-DV Entry Form. Recent and individual photographs of you, your spouse, and all children under 21 years of age are required. Family or group photographs are not accepted. Refer to information on the photograph requirements located in this bulletin.

4. WHY DO NATIVES OF CERTAIN COUNTRIES NOT QUALIFY FOR THE DV PROGRAM?

DVs are intended to provide an immigration opportunity for persons from countries other than the countries that send large numbers of immigrants to the United States. The law states that no DVs 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, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) adds the family and employment immigrant admission figures for the previous five years to identify the countries whose natives will be ineligible for the annual diversity lottery. Because there is a separate determination made before each annual E-DV entry period, the list of countries whose natives are not eligible may change from one year to the next.

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5. WHAT IS THE NUMERICAL LIMIT FOR DV-2012?

By law, the U.S. DV 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-1999, and for as long as necessary, up to 5,000 of the 55,000 annually-allocated DVs will be made available for use under the NACARA program. The actual reduction of the limit by up to 5,000 DVs began with DV-2000 and is likely to remain in effect through the DV-2012 program.
6. WHAT ARE THE REGIONAL DV LIMITS FOR DV-2012?

USCIS determines the regional DV limits for each year according to a formula specified in Section 203(c) of the INA. Once USCIS has completed these calculations, the regional visa limits will be announced.

7. WHEN WILL ENTRIES FOR THE DV-2012 PROGRAM BE ACCEPTED?

The DV-2012 entry period will run through the registration period listed above. Each year, millions of people apply for the program during the registration period. The massive volume of entries creates an enormous amount of work in selecting and processing successful individuals. Holding the entry period during October and November ensures that selectees are notified in a timely manner and gives both the visa applicants and our embassies and consulates time to prepare and complete cases for visa issuance. You are strongly encouraged to enter early in the registration period. Excessive demand at end of the registration period may slow the system down. No entries whatsoever will be accepted after noon EST Wednesday November 3, 2010.

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8. MAY PERSONS WHO ARE IN THE UNITED STATES APPLY FOR THE PROGRAM?
Yes, an applicant may be in the United States or in another country, and the entry may be submitted from the United States or from abroad.

9. IS EACH APPLICANT LIMITED TO ONLY ONE ENTRY DURING THE ANNUAL E-DV REGISTRATION PERIOD?
Yes, the law allows only one entry by or for each person during each registration period. Individuals 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 who submit multiple entries during the registration period. People submitting more than one entry will be disqualified, and an electronic record will be permanently maintained by the Department of State. Individuals 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 is selected, the other is entitled to derivative status.

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11. WHAT FAMILY MEMBERS MUST I INCLUDE ON MY E-DV ENTRY?

On your entry you must list your spouse (husband or wife) and all unmarried children under 21 years of age. You must list your spouse even if you are currently separated from him/her, unless you are legally separated (i.e., there is a written agreement recognized by a court or a court order). If you are legally separated or divorced, you do not need to list your former spouse. You must list ALL your children who are unmarried and under 21 years of age at the time of your initial E-DV entry, whether they are your natural children, your spouse's children, or children you have formally adopted in accordance with the laws of your country, unless such child is already a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident. List all children under 21 years of age at the time of your electronic entry, even if they no longer reside with you or you do not intend for them to immigrate under the DV program. Children who are already U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents will not require or be issued a DV visa. However, you should include them on your registration.

The fact that you have listed family members on your entry does not mean that they 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 those who were family members 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 I SUBMIT MY OWN ENTRY, OR MAY SOMEONE ACT ON MY BEHALF?

You may prepare and submit your own entry, or have someone submit the entry for you. Regardless of whether an entry is submitted by the individual directly, or assistance is provided by an attorney, friend, relative, etc., only one entry may be submitted in the name of each person, and the entrant remains responsible for ensuring that information in the entry is correct and complete. All entrants, including those not selected, will be able to check the status of their entry through the Entry Status Check available from May 1, 2011 on the E-DV website http://www.dvlottery.state.gov. Entrants should keep their own confirmation page information so that they may independently check the status of their entry.

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13. WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR EDUCATION OR WORK EXPERIENCE?

The law and regulations require that every entrant must have at least a high school education or its equivalent or have, within the past five years, 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. Only formal courses of study meet this requirement; correspondence programs or equivalency certificates (such as the G.E.D.) are not acceptable. Documentary proof of education or work experience must be presented to the consular officer at the time of the visa interview.

14. WHAT OCCUPATIONS QUALIFY FOR THE DV PROGRAM??

To determine eligibility based on work experience, definitions from the Department of Labor's (DOL) O*Net OnLine database will be used. The O*Net Online Database groups job experience into five "job zones."9
While many occupations are listed on the DOL Website, only certain specified occupations qualify for the DV Program. To qualify for a DV on the basis of your work experience, you must have, within the past five years, two years of experience in an occupation that is designated as Job Zone 4 or 5, classified in a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) range of 7.0 or higher.

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15. HOW DO I FIND THE QUALIFYING OCCUPATIONS ON THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR WEB SITE?

Qualifying DV Occupations are shown on the DOL O*Net Online Database. Follow these steps to find out if your occupation qualifies: Select "Find Occupations" and then select a specific "Job Family." For example, select Architecture and Engineering and click "GO." Then click on the link for the specific Occupation. Following the same example, click Aerospace Engineers. After selecting a specific Occupation link, select the tab "Job Zone" to find out the designated Job Zone number and Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) rating range. For additional information see the Diversity Visa – List of Occupations webpage

16. HOW WILL SUCCESSFUL ENTRANTS BE SELECTED?

At the KCC, 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 entrant will be notified of their selection through the Entry Status Check available from May 1, 2011 on the E-DV website http://www.dvlottery.state.gov. The KCC will continue to process the case until those selected to be visa applicants are instructed to appear for visa interviews at a U.S. consular office or until those qualifying to change status in the United States apply at a domestic USCIS office.

Important Note: Notifications to those selected in the random lottery are http://www.dvlottery,state.gov. The KCC will no longer send selectee notifications or letters by regular postal mail. Should you receive an e-mail notification or a mailed letter about your E-DV selection, be aware that the notification is not legitimate. It is only after you are selected, and respond to the notification instructions made available to you via Entry Status Check, and processing begins on your case, that you may receive follow-up e-mail communication from the KCC informing you to review Entry Status Check for new information about your application. The KCC will not sent by e-mail. Official notifications of selection will be made through - Entry Status Check, available from May 1, 2011 on the E-DV website not ask you to send money to them by mail or by services such as Western Union.

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17. MAY SELECTEES ADJUST THEIR STATUS WITH USCIS?

Yes, provided they are otherwise eligible to adjust status under the terms of Section 245 of the INA, selected individuals who are physically present in the United States may apply to USCIS for adjustment of status to permanent resident. Applicants must ensure that USCIS can complete action on their cases, including processing of any overseas derivatives, before September 30, 2012, since on that date registrations for the DV-2012 program expire. No visa numbers for the DV-2012 program will be available after midnight EST on September 30, 2012, under any circumstances.

18. WILL ENTRANTS WHO ARE NOT SELECTED BE INFORMED?

All entrants, including those NOT selected, may check the status of their entry through the Entry Status Check on the E-DV website http://www.dvlottery.state.gov and find out if their entry was or was not selected. Entrants should keep their own confirmation page information from the time of their entry until the completion of their visa application, if selected. Status information for DV-2012 will be available online from May 1, 2011, until June 30, 2012. (Status information for the previous DV lottery, DV-2011, is available online from July 1, 2010, until June 30, 2011.)

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19. HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS WILL BE SELECTED?

There are 50,000 DV visas available for DV-2012, but 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 KCC 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 through the E-DV website's Entry Status Check. Interviews for the DV-2012 program will begin in October 2011.

Selectees who provide information requested in the notification instructions will be informed of their visa interview appointment through the E-DV website's Entry Status Check four to six weeks before the scheduled interviews with U.S. consular officers at overseas posts. Each month, visas will be issued to those applicants who are ready for issuance during that month, visa-number availability permitting. Once all of the 50,000 DV visas have been issued, the program will end. In principle, visa numbers could be finished before September 2011. Selected applicants who wish to receive visas must be prepared to act promptly on their cases. Random selection by the KCC computer as a selectee does not automatically guarantee that you will receive a visa. Only the first 50,000 selected applicants to qualify will be issued visas and you must qualify for the visa as well.

20. IS THERE A MINIMUM AGE FOR APPLICANTS TO APPLY FOR THE E-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.

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21. ARE THERE ANY FEES FOR THE E-DV PROGRAM?

There is no fee for submitting an electronic lottery entry. DV applicants must pay all required visa fees at the time of visa application directly to the consular cashier at the embassy or consulate. Details of required DV and immigration visa application fees will be included with the instructions sent by the KCC to applicants who are selected.

22. DO DV APPLICANTS RECEIVE WAIVERS OF ANY GROUNDS OF VISA INELIGIBILITY OR RECEIVE SPECIAL PROCESSING FOR A WAIVER APPLICATION?

Applicants are subject to all grounds of ineligibility for immigrant visas specified in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). There are no special provisions for the waiver of any ground of visa ineligibility aside from those ordinarily provided in the INA, nor is there special processing for waiver requests. Some general waiver provisions for people with close relatives who are U.S. Citizens or Lawful Permanent Resident aliens may be available to DV applicants as well, but the time constraints in the DV program will make it difficult for applicants to benefit from such provisions.

23. 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.

24. HOW LONG DO APPLICANTS WHO ARE SELECTED REMAIN ENTITLED TO APPLY FOR VISAS IN THE DV CATEGORY?

Persons selected in the DV-2012 lottery are entitled to apply for visa issuance only during fiscal year 2012, from October 1, 2011, through September 30, 2012. Applicants must obtain their visa or adjust status by the end of the fiscal year. There is no carry-over of DV benefits into the next year for persons who are selected but who do not obtain visas by September 30, 2012 (the end of the fiscal year.). Also, spouses and children who derive status from a DV-2012 registration can only obtain visas in the DV category between October 1, 2011 and September 30, 2012. Applicants who apply overseas will receive an appointment notification from the KCC through Entry Status Check on the E-DV website four to six weeks before the scheduled appointment.