2014 Diversity Visa Program Begins Tuesday, Oct. 2
The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program makes available up to 55,000 diversity visas (DVs) annually, drawn from random selection among all entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. The purpose of the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is to bring diversity to the immigrant population immigrating to the U.S. and to provide an avenue for permanent residency for those born in countries with a low level of immigration to the United States.
The 2014 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2014) will open at noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), on Tuesday, October 2, 2012, and will close at noon, EDT, on 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. We strongly encourage applicants 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.
For fiscal year 2014, 50,000 diversity visas (DV) will be available. 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.
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 at 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.
PLEASE NOTE: You do not need to solicit the advice of an immigration attorney nor pay fees to submit your entry in the 2014 DV Lottery. Any service advertising its services for a fee to submit an entry are NOT legitimate services.
You may need to solicit the advice of an immigration attorney if after May 1, 2013 you are notified by the Department of State that you are selected for the 2014 DV Lottery. Submitting your entry into the 2014 DV Lottery does not communicate immigrant intent and therefore would not pose a conflict with your nonimmigrant status. Once selected, however, you may want to consult with an immigration attorney to find out what impact submitting an application for an immigrant visa would have on your nonimmigrant status.