The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered annually by the Department of State. 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.
Education/Experience:
To meet the education/work experience requirement of the DV program, you must have either:
a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education;
OR
two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience to perform. The U.S. Department of Labor’s O*Net Online database will be used to determine qualifying work experience.
Do not submit an entry to the DV program unless you meet both of these requirements.
Entries for the DV program must be submitted electronically at www.dvlottery.state.gov between noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), October 1, and noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), November 2. 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 by or for each person during each registration period. The Department of State uses sophisticated technology to detect multiple entries. If you submit more than one entry you will be disqualified.
Submit your Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form (E-DV Entry Form or DS-5501), online at www.dvlottery.state.gov. Incomplete entries will be disqualified. There is no cost to register for the DV Program.
You are strongly encouraged to complete the entry form yourself, without a “Visa Consultant,” “Visa Agent,” or other facilitator who offers to help. If somebody else helps you, you should be present when your entry is prepared so that you can provide the correct answers to the questions and retain the confirmation page and your unique confirmation number. It is extremely important that you retain your confirmation page and unique confirmation number. Without this information, you will not be able to access the online system that will inform you of the status of your entry. Think carefully if someone else offers to keep this information for you.
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 1 you will be able to check the status of your entry by returning to www.dvlottery.state.gov, clicking on Entrant Status Check, and entering your unique confirmation number and personal information. Entrant Status Check will be the sole means of informing you of your selection for DV, providing instructions on how to proceed with your application, and notifying you of your appointment for your immigrant visa interview.
You must provide the following information to complete your E-DV entry:
1. Name – last/family name, first name, middle name – exactly as on your passport.
2. Birth date – day, month, year.
3. Gender – male or female.
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. 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. Entrant photograph(s) – Recent photographs of yourself, your spouse and all your children listed on your entry. 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.
Group photographs will not be accepted; you must submit a photograph for each individual. Your entry may be disqualified or visa refused if the photographs are not recent, have been manipulated in any way, or do not meet the specifications explained below. See Submitting a Digital Photograph for more information.
8. Mailing Address – In Care Of Address Line 1 Address Line 2 City/Town District/Country/Province/State Postal Code/Zip Code Country
9. Country -- where you live today.
10. Phone number (optional).
11. E-mail address – An e-mail address to which you have direct access. If your entry is selected and you respond to the notification of your selection through the Entrant Status Check, you will receive follow-up e-mail communication from the Department of State notifying you that details of your immigrant visa interview are available on Entrant Status Check. The Department of State will never send you an e-mail telling you that you have been selected for the DV program. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about the selection process.
12. 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 graduate-level courses, (8) Master’s degree, (9) Some doctoral – level courses, and (10) Doctorate. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about educational requirements.
13. Current marital status – Unmarried, married, divorced, widowed, or legally separated. Enter the name, date of birth, gender, city/town of birth, 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 will result in disqualification of the principal applicant and refusal of all visas in the case at the time of the visa interview. You must list your spouse here even if you plan to be divorced before you apply for a visa. A spouse who is already a U.S. citizen or a Lawful Permanent Resident will not require or be issued a DV visa, though you will not be penalized if you list them on your entry form. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about family members.
14. 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 or not 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.
You can take a new digital photograph or scan a photographic print with a digital scanner, as long as it meets the compositional and technical specifications listed below. Test your photos through the photo validation link on the E-DV website, which provides additional technical advice on photo composition and examples of acceptable and unacceptable photos.
Photographs must be in 24-bit color depth. If you are using a scanner, the settings must be for True Color or 24-bit color mode. See the additional scanning requirements below.
Compositional Specifications:
Head Position:
The subject must directly face the camera.
The subject’s head should not be tilted up, down, or to the side.
The head height or facial region size (measured from the top of the head, including the hair, to the bottom of the chin) must be between 50 percent and 69 percent of the image’s total height. The eye height (measured from the bottom of the image to the level of the eyes) should be between 56 percent and 69 percent of the image’s height.
Digital Image Head Size Template
Light-colored Background
The subject should be in front of a neutral, light-colored background.
Focus
The photograph must be in focus.
No Decorative Items
The subject must not wear sunglasses or other items that detract from the face.
No Head Coverings or Hats
Head coverings or hats worn for religious beliefs are acceptable, but the head covering may not obscure any portion of the face. Tribal or other headgear not religious in nature may not be worn. Photographs of military, airline, or other personnel wearing hats will not be accepted.
Technical Specifications
Image File Format:
The image must be in the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format.
Image File Size:
The maximum image file size is 240 kilobytes (240 KB).
Image Resolution:
Minimum acceptable dimensions are 600 pixels (width) x 600
Dimensions:
pixels (height). Image pixel dimensions must be in a square aspect ratio (meaning the height must be equal to the width).
Image Color Depth:
Image must be in color (24 bits per pixel). 24-bit black and white or 8-bit images will not be accepted.
