Applications for the 2013 Diversity Immigrant Program (DV-2013) green card lottery must be submitted online by Noon EDT (GMT -5), November 5, 2011.
The lottery will enable up to 50,000 randomly chosen people born in certain countries to obtain permanent residence in the United States. There is no fee required for then initial diversity lottery application. Applicants must have at least a high school education (or its equivalent) or two years of qualifying work experience. Applicants who are selected in the lottery will be eligible to become U.S. permanent residents during Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 (October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013).
- Background
Each year, the U.S. Diversity immigrant Visa program makes available visas to persons meeting certain eligibility requirements. Applicants for Diversity Visas are initially chosen through a random computer-generated lottery drawing. 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 countries sending more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the past five years. Within each region, no one country can receive more than seven percent of the available Diversity Visas in any one year. - Ineligible Countries
For DV-2013, persons born in the following countries are ineligible to apply, as they sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the last five years: BANGLADESH, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PAKISTAN, PERU, PHILIPPINES, SOUTH KOREA, UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and VIETNAM. - Changes to List of Eligible Countries
South Sudan and Poland have been added to the list of eligible countries for DV-2013, while Bangladesh has been removed from the list. - How to Apply
Applicants must submit apply for the DV-2013 program electronically at www.dvlottery.state.gov. Paper entries are not be accepted, and no entries will be accepted after 12:00 pm EDT on November 5, 2011. The applicant must attach digital photographs of him/herself, and any spouse or unmarried children under 21 who will accompany the applicant; photographs are not required for children who are already United States citizens or lawful permanent residents. Lottery entrants will receive electronic confirmation upon receipt of a completed electronic entry form, and given a confirmation number, which must be retained. - Checking status
Starting May 1, 2012, Applicants will be able to check the status of their DV-2013 entry by returning to www.dvlottery.state.gov and clicking on "Entrant Status Check" and entering the unique confirmation number and personal information given when the application was submitted. This will be the sole means of informing applicants if they have been selected for DV-2013. It is therefore critical that you retain the confirmation number given to you when you apply. If selected for DV-2013, you will be provided instructions on how to proceed with the application. - Married Applicants
If you are married and your spouse is not already a permanent resident or U.S. citizen, and is eligible for the diversity lottery program, he or she should also submit a DV-2013 entry, which will increase the chances for both of you of obtaining permanent residency status through this program. - Further Instructions
Detailed instructions on the DV-2013 program and eligibility requirements may be found at http://travel.state.gov/pdf/DV_2013_instructions.pdf.
Please contact our office if you have additional questions about this program.
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