The mail-in period for the next Diversity Visa lottery
(DV-2003) will be held between noon on October 1, 2001
and noon on October 31, 2001. Those who choose to enter
the DV-2003 lottery should obtain a copy of the instructions
in the "Visa Bulletin," which may be found at the
Bureau of Consular Affairs web site: http://travel.state.gov.
Section 203(c) of the Immigration Act of 1990 makes
available up to 55,000 (1) permanent resident immigrant
visas each year by random selection through a Diversity Visa
lottery (DV-2003). The visas are distributed among six
geographic regions with a greater number of visas going to
regions with lower rates of immigration, and no visas going
to citizens of countries sending more than 50,000 immigrants
to the U.S. in the past five years. Within each region, no
one country may receive more than 7% of the available
Diversity Visas in any one year.
There is no specific format for the entry, but it is
important to provide all the information requested. Entries
for the DV-2003 Diversity Visa Lottery must be received at
one of the Kentucky Consular Center mailing addresses during
the mail-in period. Entries sent to the wrong address or
received before or after this period will be disqualified
regardless of when they are postmarked. Please note several
important changes in requirements and eligibility described
below.
HOW ARE THE
VISAS BEING APPORTIONED?
WHO
IS NOT ELIGIBLE?
HAVE
THE REQUIREMENTS CHANGED SINCE LAST YEAR’S REGISTRATION?
WHAT
ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO ENTER?
WHAT
DOES THE TERM "NATIVE" MEAN? IS THERE ANY
SITUATION IN WHICH A PERSON WHO WAS NOT BORN IN A QUALIFYING
COUNTRY MAY APPLY?
WHEN
ARE ENTRIES FOR THE DV PROGRAM ACCEPTED EACH YEAR?
IS
IT NECESSARY TO USE AN OUTSIDE ATTORNEY OR CONSULTANT?
HOW
WILL WINNERS BE NOTIFIED?
WHERE
CAN ONE RECEIVE INSTRUCTIONS TO ENTER THE LOTTERY?
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HOW
ARE THE VISAS BEING APPORTIONED?
The visas will be apportioned among six
geographic regions. A greater number of visas will go to
those regions that have lower immigration rates and no visas
may be issued to countries that have sent more than 50,000
immigrants to the United States during the previous five
years. No one country (2) can receive more than seven
percent of the available diversity visas in any one year.
Information about visa allotments for each region is
determined by the Immigration and Naturalization Service
(INS) each year according to a formula specified in Section
203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The six geographic regions are:
AFRICA: All countries on the continent of Africa and
adjacent islands are eligible.
ASIA: All countries are eligible except China (mainland
born), India, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, and
Vietnam. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan
are eligible.
EUROPE: All countries are eligible except Great Britain
(United Kingdom) and its dependent territories. (Northern
Ireland is eligible.)
NORTH AMERICA: The Bahamas is the only eligible country in
the region this year. (Canada is not eligible for the DV
lottery.)
OCEANIA: All countries in the region are eligible, including
Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the countries
and islands in the South Pacific.
SOUTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN: All
countries in the region are eligible except Colombia,
Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Jamaica, and Mexico.
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WHO
IS NOT ELIGIBLE?
Persons born in "high admission"
countries are, in most instances, not eligible for the
program. "High admission" countries are defined as
those from which the United States has received more than
50,000 immigrants during the last five years in the
immediate relative, family and employment preference
categories. Each year, the INS adds the family and
employment immigrant admission figures for the previous five
years, to identify the countries that must be excluded from
the annual Diversity Lottery. Since there is a separate
determination made prior to each lottery entry period, the
list of countries that do not qualify is subject to change
each year.
For DV-2003, the "high admission" countries are:
Canada, China (mainland born), Colombia, Dominican Republic,
El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, the
Philippines, South Korea, the United Kingdom and dependent
territories, and Vietnam. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR,
Macau SAR, Taiwan, and Northern Ireland are eligible to
apply for the DV-2003 lottery.
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HAVE
THE REQUIREMENTS CHANGED SINCE LAST YEAR’S REGISTRATION?
The address for submitting DV applications has
changed. Applicants must mail their entries to one of the
six Kentucky Consular Center regional addresses listed
below. The entry must be submitted by regular or airmail to
the address matching the region of the applicant’s country
of nativity. Entries sent by express or priority mail,
second day airmail, fax, hand, messenger, or any means
requiring special handling will be disqualified.
Entries mailed to any address other than the Kentucky
Consular Center addresses shown below will be disqualified.
Africa:
Asia:
DV-2003 Program
Kentucky Consular Center
1001 Visa Crest
Migrate, KY 41901-1000, U.S.A.
DV-2003 Program
Kentucky Consular Center
2002 Visa Crest
Migrate, KY 41902-2000, U.S.A.
Europe:
South America/Central America/Caribbean
DV-2003 Program
Kentucky Consular Center
3003 Visa Crest
Migrate, KY 41903-3000, U.S.A.
DV-2003 Program
Kentucky Consular Center
4004 Visa Crest
Migrate, KY 41904-4000, U.S.A.
Oceania:
North America:
DV-2003 Program
Kentucky Consular Center
5005 Visa Crest
Migrate, KY 41905-5000, U.S.A.
DV-2003 Program
Kentucky Consular Center
6006 Visa Crest
Migrate, KY 41906-6000, U.S.A.
The eligibility of the applicant and the information
required on the entry and on the envelope in which it is
sent is specified in detail in the Visa Bulletin. Each entry
must be personally signed by the applicant. Please note that
photographs of the applicant and all his/her dependents are
now required, and the photos must conform to the
specifications listed in the Visa Bulletin. Also note that
qualifying work experience will be defined by the Department
of Labor’s O*Net online database: www.onetcenter.org.
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WHAT
ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO ENTER?
The applicant must be a native of a qualifying
country. However, if a person was born in an ineligible
country but his or her spouse was born in an eligible
country, such a person can claim the spouse's country of
birth, provided both the applicant and spouse are issued
visas and enter the U.S. simultaneously. Also, if a person
was born in an ineligible country, but neither of his or her
parents was born or resided there at the time of the birth,
such a person may be able to claim one of the parent's
countries of birth.
In addition, applicants must have either a high school
education or its equivalent, or two years of work experience
within the past five years in an occupation that requires at
least two years of training or experience. If the applicant
does not meet these requirements, he or she should not
submit an entry for the DV program.
There is no initial application fee or special application
form to enter. The entry must be typed or clearly printed in
the English alphabet on a sheet of plain paper and must
include:
The applicant's FULL NAME, with the last name underlined.
The applicant’s DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH.
The applicant's NATIVE COUNTRY if it differs from the
country of birth.
NAME, DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH OF the applicant’s SPOUSE
AND CHILDREN, including legally-adopted and stepchildren,
who are UNDER AGE 21 (all minor, unmarried children must be
listed on the principal applicant’s entry, even if the
applicant is no longer legally married to the child’s
parent, and even if they do not wish to immigrate). The
entry will be disqualified if all children are not listed.
RECENT PHOTOGRAPH OF THE APPLICANT, the applicant's SPOUSE,
AND ALL CHILDREN. Entry will be disqualified if photos of
all family members are not included.
The applicant's FULL MAILING ADDRESS and, if possible, a
telephone number;
THE APPLICANT’S SIGNATURE, using his or her usual and
customary signature in the native language. Any entry that
is not personally signed by the applicant will be
disqualified.
This information must be sent by regular mail or airmail to
one of the six Migrate, Kentucky postal addresses. Entries
must be received during the mail-in period for DV-2003 --
between noon on October 1, 2001 and noon on October 31,
2001. Applicants must use the correct address designated for
their native region. The entry must be mailed in a standard
letter or business-size envelope with the applicant's native
country, full name, and complete mailing address typed or
clearly printed in the English alphabet in the upper
left-hand corner of the envelope. Postcards are not
acceptable.
Husbands and wives may each submit an entry, if both
qualify. If either were selected, the other would be
entitled to derivative status. Note: Husbands and wives may
not sign for each other. Each applicant must sign his or her
own entry.
Only one entry for each applicant may be submitted during
the registration period. Any entry sent by express or
priority mail, fax, hand, messenger, or any means requiring
receipts or special handling will not be processed.
Duplicate or multiple entries will disqualify an individual
from registration for this program. Any entry received
before or after the specified registration dates REGARDLESS
OF WHEN IT IS POSTMARKED and any entry sent to an address
other than one of those indicated will be disqualified. All
mail received during the registration period and meeting the
above requirements will be individually numbered and
successful entrants will be selected at random by computer
regardless of time of receipt during the specified mail-in
period.
Please note: Failure to carefully follow all of these
instructions will disqualify the entry.
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WHAT
DOES THE TERM "NATIVE" MEAN? IS THERE ANY
SITUATION IN WHICH A PERSON WHO WAS NOT BORN IN A QUALIFYING
COUNTRY MAY APPLY?
In most cases, "native" normally means
someone born in a particular country, regardless of the
individual’s current country of residence or nationality.
HOWEVER, if a person was born in an ineligible country but
his/her spouse was born in an eligible country, such person
can claim the spouse’s country of birth providing both the
applicant and spouse are issued visas and enter the U.S.
simultaneously. A minor dependent child can be charged to
the country of birth of a parent; and an applicant born in a
country of which neither parent was a native or a resident
at the time of his/her birth may be charged to the country
of birth of either parent. If the applicant is claiming
nativity in a country other than his/her place of birth,
this must be clearly indicated on the entry, and must show
the native country claimed on the upper left-hand corner of
the envelope in which the registration request is mailed.
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WHEN
ARE ENTRIES FOR THE DV PROGRAM ACCEPTED EACH YEAR?
The month-long application period will be held each
fall beginning at noon on the first Monday in October and
last for 30 days. Each year, millions of applicants apply
for the program during the mail-in registration period. The
massive volume of entries creates an enormous amount of work
in selecting and processing successful applicants. Holding
the application period in the fall ensures that successful
applicants are notified in a timely manner. This also gives
both them and our embassies and consulates overseas a full
fiscal year (fiscal year 2003 begins on October 1, 2002 and
ends on September 30, 2003) to process the necessary
immigrant visas.
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IS
IT NECESSARY TO USE AN OUTSIDE ATTORNEY OR CONSULTANT?
The decision to hire an attorney or consultant is
entirely up to the applicant. Procedures for entering the
Diversity Lottery can be completed without assistance
following simple instructions. No fee is charged to enter
the DV-2003 program. The selection of winners is made at
random and no outside service can improve an applicant's
chances of being chosen or guarantee an entry will win. Any
service that claims it can improve an applicant's odds would
be promising something it cannot deliver. Nevertheless,
applicants may use outside assistance, if that is their
choice. There are many legitimate attorneys and immigration
consultants assisting applicants for reasonable fees, or in
some cases for free. Unfortunately, there are other persons
who are charging exorbitant rates and making unrealistic
claims. The U.S. Government employs no outside consultants
or private mail services to operate the DV program. Any
intermediaries or others who offer assistance to prepare DV
applicants do so without the authority or consent of the
U.S. Government.
A qualified entry received directly from an applicant has an
equal chance of being selected by the computer at the
Kentucky Consular Center as does an entry received through a
paid intermediary who completes the entry for the applicant.
There is no advantage to mailing early, or mailing from any
particular place. Every entry received during the mail-in
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 that entry. In addition, the DV
entry must be personally signed by the applicant, or the
entry will be disqualified.
Persons who think they have been cheated by a U.S. company
or consultant in connection with the DV Lottery may wish to
contact their local consumer affairs office or the Federal
Trade Commission (FTC). The Internet address for using the
online complaint form is: http://www.FTC.gov. The FTC can
also be contacted by telephone, toll free at 1-877-FTC-HELP
(382-4357) or (202) 382-4357 or TDD: (202) 326-2502. The
mailing address is: Consumer Response Center, Federal Trade
Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.
20580. (The FTC telephone number is only to report fraud and
not to obtain information about application procedures for
the DV Lottery.)
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HOW
WILL WINNERS BE NOTIFIED?
Only successful applicants will be notified by mail
by the Kentucky Consular Center at the address listed on
their entry. The notifications will be sent between April
and June 2002, along with instructions on how to apply for
an immigrant visa. Applicants must meet all eligibility
requirements under U.S. law to be issued a visa.
Being selected in the DV Lottery does not automatically
guarantee being issued a visa because the number of
applicants selected is greater than the number of immigrant
visas available. Those selected will therefore need to act
quickly on their immigrant visa applications. Applicants who
are physically present in the United States may be eligible
to apply to the INS for adjustment of status to permanent
resident. However, such applicants must ensure that INS can
complete action on their cases before September 30, 2003.
Once all available visas have been issued, the DV Program
for fiscal year 2003 will end. In any event, all DV-2003
visas must, by law, be issued by September 30, 2003.
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WHERE
CAN ONE RECEIVE INSTRUCTIONS TO ENTER THE LOTTERY?
Interested persons may call (202) 331-7199, which
describes the various means to obtain further details on
entering the DV-2003 program. Applicants overseas may
contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for
instructions on the DV lottery. DV information is also
available in the "Visa Bulletin" on the Internet
at http://travel.state.gov or via the Consular Affairs
automated fax at (202) 647-3000 (code 1550). Calls to the
automated fax service must be made from a fax machine using
the receiver or voice option of the caller’s fax
equipment. Applicants may also e-mail kccdv@state.gov for
copies of the instructions on the DV lottery.
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