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What to do if you are selected as a Winner in the DV or Green Card Lottery?

5/30/2021

DV Lottery: What to do if you are selected as a winner in the DV or Green Card Lottery?

Selected entrants are encouraged to complete the online DS-260 application immediately to schedule an interview appointment at the appropriate U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

Please note: The Department of State will not mail notification letters or notify selectees by email. U.S. embassies and consulates will not provide a list of selectees. Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website is the ONLY means by which the Department of State notifies selectees of their selection.

If you receive notification through the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website that you have been selected for further processing in the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program, you must successfully complete the steps on the following pages before a consular interview can be scheduled to determine if you will receive a visa. You should complete these steps as soon as possible.

If you receive notification through the E-DV website that you have been selected for further processing in the DV Program, and you are physically present in the United States, you may be eligible to adjust status to obtain permanent residence through the DV Program. For more information, see Adjustment of Status. Consult an attorney to see if you are eligible for adjustment of status.

DV visa fee payment instructions are here.

It is important to remember that selection does not guarantee you will receive a visa. In order to receive a DV to immigrate to the United States, selectees must still meet all eligibility requirements under U.S. law.

The only site where you can enter into DV lottery and later check the results is https://dvlottery.state.gov/

Read more about the DV process here.

Read about Adjustment of status here.

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DV or Green Card Lottery 2021 registration period open from October 2 to November 5, 2019

10/1/2019

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DV or Green Card Lottery 2021 registration period open from October 2 to November 5, 2019:

Applicants must submit entries for the DV-2021 program electronically at dvlottery.state.gov between
noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), Wednesday, October 2, 2019, and noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST), Tuesday, November 5, 2019.

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 per person during each registration period. Individuals with more than one entry will be disqualified.

For DV-2021, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply, because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States in the previous five years:
Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible.

Eligibility:

Requirement #1: Individuals born in countries whose natives qualify may be eligible to enter.
If you were not born in an eligible country, there are two other ways you might be able to qualify.
 Was your spouse born in a country whose natives are eligible? If yes, you can claim your spouse’s country of birth – provided that both you and your spouse are named on the selected entry, are found eligible and issued diversity visas, and enter the United States simultaneously.
 Were you born in a country whose natives are ineligible, but in which neither of your parents was born or legally resident at the time of your birth? If yes, you may claim the country of birth of one of your parents if it is a country whose natives are eligible for the DV-2021 program.

Requirement #2: Each DV applicant must meet the education/work experience requirement of the DV
program by having either:
 at least a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year
course of formal elementary and secondary education;
OR
 two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform. The Department of State will use the U.S. Department
of Labor’s O*Net Online database to determine qualifying work experience.

NEW Passport Requirement: A green card lottery entry includes a question about your valid and unexpired passport . If you have no passport, you may not apply, unless you fall under a narrow exception:
a) Stateless (no nationality of any country),
b) A national of a Communist-controlled country, and unable to obtain a passport from my government,
c) Unable to obtain a passport, and have received an individual waiver of the passport requirement by the Secretary of Homeland Security or Secretary of State.

Do not submit an entry to the DV program unless you meet both of these requirements.

If you need help, please contact us at [email protected]

Read more here: https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Diversity-Visa/DV-Instructions-Translations/DV-2021-Instructions-Translations/DV-2021-Instructions-English.pdf

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Travel Ban or Muslim Ban 3 Goes Into Effect While Appeals Are Pending

12/5/2017

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On Monday, December 4, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two orders staying lower courts’ (Maryland & Hawaii) preliminary injunctions of President's September 24, 2017 presidential proclamation or 3rd travel ban.

Accordingly, President's most recent travel ban, so-called Muslim Ban 3, will go into effect while the appeals are pending. The U.S. Supreme Court encouraged the appeals courts to quickly decide whether the most recent travel ban was lawful.

The September 24, 2017, Presidential Proclamation on Enhancing Vetting Capabilities & Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry Into the United States by Terrorists or Other Public-Safety Threats indefinitely blocks the entry for certain individuals from eight countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Chad, North Korea, Syria, Somalia, Venezuela and Yemen.

Travel Restriction for Nationals of Eight Countries – Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Venezuela, Syria, and Yemen

General Rules:

Only applies to individuals who are (i) outside of the U.S. on the day the travel ban goes into effect, and (ii) who do not have a valid visa on the day travel ban goes into effect, and (iii) who have not obtained a waiver under Section 3(c) of the Proclamation
Does not apply to:
- Lawful permanent residents (green card holders);
- Individuals admitted or paroled into the U.S. on or after the effective date;
- Those with a document other than a visa that allows them to travel to the U.S., if the document is dated on or after the effective date;
- Dual-nationals traveling on a passport from a non-designated country;
- Individuals granted asylum;
- Refugees already admitted to the U.S.; or
- Individuals granted withholding of removal, advance parole, or protection under the Convention against Torture

Previously-Impacted Countries – Restrictions Effective Immediately:

Iran
- Effective immediately, immigrant and nonimmigrant entry are suspended for Iranian nationals except for those with F, J, or M visas.
- Those with F, J, or M visas will most likely be subject to “enhanced screening and vetting requirements.”
Libya
- Effective immediately, immigrants and nonimmigrants on business (B-1), tourist (B-2), business/tourist (B-1/B-2) visas are suspended except those with a bona fide relationship to the U.S.
Somalia
- Effective immediately, immigrant visas are suspended for Somali nationals
- Non-immigrant visas are permitted, subjected to heightened screening.
- The bona fide relationship exemption ends October 18, 2017.
Syria
- Effective immediately, immigrant and nonimmigrant entry is suspended for Syrian nationals
Sudan
- Sudan was removed from the list of restricted countries in MB-4.
- Sudanese visa holders who were impacted by earlier Muslim Bans should now be able to reapply for visa.
Yemen
- Effective immediately, all immigrant visas and nonimmigrant business (B-1), tourist (B-2), and business/tourist (B-1/B-2) visas are suspended,

Newly Impacted Countries (Added):

Chad
- All immigrant visas and with nonimmigrant business (B-1), tourist (B-2), and business/tourist (B-1/B-2) visas are suspended from entering the U.S.
North Korea
- All immigrant and nonimmigrant visa holders are suspended from entering the U.S.
Venezuela
- The entry of officials of government agencies of Venezuela involved in screening and vetting procedures and their immediate family members, as nonimmigrants on business (B-1), tourist (B-2), and business/tourist (B-1/B-2) visas, is suspended. Additionally, nationals of Venezuela who are visa holders are subject to additional measures.
- Per Section 3(b)(v) of MB-4, certain Venezuelans traveling on diplomatic visas are not affected by this order.

Waivers:

If you are from one of the countries covered by the travel ban and do not yet have a valid U.S. visa, you cannot obtain a visa at this time unless you qualify for a waiver. Consular officers may, on a case-by-case and discretionary basis, grant a waiver to affected individuals for certain reasons. To obtain a waiver and a visa, the person seeking admission must prove:

denying entry to the U.S. would cause the foreign national undue hardship;
admission would not pose a threat to the national security or public safety of the United States;
entry would be in the U.S. national interest.

Travel Risks for People from Affected Countries with Valid Visas:

If you are from one of the impacted countries and hold a valid visa, you may be able to apply for admission to the United States. The newest travel ban states that no visas will be automatically revoked and that those with a valid visa are not covered by the travel ban. However, travel outside the United States at this time carries risk.

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Extreme Vetting: Dept of State May Ask 65,000 Foreigners with Threat Profiles for Extra Information

5/5/2017

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On May 4, 2017, the U.S. Department of State published in the Federal Register the following public notice: Public Notice: 9984, Notice of Information Collection Under OMB Emergency Review: Supplemental Questions for Visa Applicants.

"The Department proposes requesting the following information, if not already included in an application, from a subset of visa applicants worldwide, in order to more rigorously evaluate applicants for terrorism or other national security-related visa ineligibilities:

• Travel history during the last fifteen years, including source of funding for travel;
• Address history during the last fifteen years;
• Employment history during the last fifteen years;
• All passport numbers and country of issuance held by the applicant;
• Names and dates of birth for all siblings;
• Name and dates of birth for all children;
• Names and dates of birth for all current and former spouses, or civil or domestic partners;
• Social media platforms and identifiers, also known as handles, used during the last five years; and
• Phone numbers and email addresses used during the last five years.

Most of this information is already collected on visa applications but for a shorter time period, e.g. five years rather than fifteen years.

Requests for names and dates of birth of siblings and, for some applicants, children are new. The request for social media identifiers and associated platforms is new for the Department of State, although it is already collected on a voluntary basis by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for certain individuals.

The estimated number of respondents represents the estimate of relevant State Department officials that 0.5% of U.S. visa applicants worldwide, or in the range of 65,000 individuals per year, will present a "threat profile", based on individual circumstances and information they provide, that will lead U.S. consular officers at posts around the world to conclude the applicant warrants enhanced screening that takes into account the information that is proposed to be collected."

"Regarding travel history, applicants may be requested to provide details of their international or domestic (within their country of nationality) travel, if it appears to the consular officer that the applicant has been in an area while the area was under the operational control of a terrorist organization as defined in section 212(a)(3)(B)(vi) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(B)(vi). Applicants may be asked to recount or explain the details of their travel, and when possible, provide supporting documentation."

"This information collection implements the directive of the President, in the Memorandum for the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security of March 6, 2017, to implement additional protocols and procedures focused on ‘‘ensur[ing] the proper collection of all information necessary to rigorously evaluate all grounds of inadmissibility or deportability, or grounds for the denial of other immigration benefits.’’

Extreme vetting or enhanced screening protocols will not apply to all visa applicants, but to select ones, who present potentially a "threat profile".

In Russian:

В исполнение указа президента США от 6 марта 2017, Госдеп США опубликовал план новой программы усиленной проверки подозрительных заявителей на визу, так называемых "threat profiles".

Усиленной проверке будут подвергаться не все заявители на визу, а выборочная группа лиц. Например, лица, которые подозреваются в связи с террористическими организациями, которые путешествовали в старын или регионы, где такие группы существуют.

По расчетам Госдепа США, такх лиц наберется около 65 000 в год, то есть пока они не собираются применять эти меры ко всем заявителем на визу.

4 мая 2017 Госдеп опубликовал новый список мер:

Требование предоставить историю поездок за границу за последние 15 лет.
Возможны детальные расспросы о поездках на интервью на визу, и затребование документов.
Все адреса проживания за последние 15 лет.
Трудовая история за последние 15 лет.
Все номера паспортов и страны выдавшие паспорта
Имена и даты рождения всех братьев и сестер.
Имена и даты рождения всех детей, вне зависимости от возраста, проживания
Имена и даты рождения всех бывших мужей и жен. А также всех гражданских жен и мужей (это совершенно новое требование, которое может быть истолковано очень широко)
Все ваши аккаунты на социальных платформах social media accounts, которыми вы пользовались в последние 5 лет. (Они пока не указывают, что будут тредовать пароль или доступ, а только указать имя на аккаунте)
Все номера телефонов и email addresses, которыми вы пользовались в течение последних 5 лет.

Unknown artist "Battle of Yuri Gagarin and Darth Vader"

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DV 2018 Green Card Lottery Rules and Instructions

9/21/2016

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On September 16, 2016, DOS Department of State issued a cable describing a green card lottery process for the next fiscal year: the 2018 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program.

For DV-2018, there is one change to the eligible countries list: Ecuador is once again eligible.

See here. Or you can download the document here.

If you need help submitting your entry into the DV-2018 lottery program, please email and we will forward to you our Questionnaire and DV program instructions (in English or in Russian).

The DV-2018 program registration period will run from noon, EDT on October 4, 2016, through noon, EST November 7, 2016.

Entrants may prepare and submit their own entries or have someone submit the entry for them. Whether the individual submits an entry directly, or an attorney, friend, relative, etc. provides assistance, only one entry may be submitted in the name of each individual, and the entrant remains responsible for ensuring that the information is correct and complete.

All entrants, including those not selected, will be able to check the status of their entry through the Entrant Status Check available at dvlottery.state.gov.

The law allows only one entry by or for each person during each registration period. Entrants who submit more than one entry will be disqualified.

Applicants must submit a recent photo taken within the last six months. Entries that include the same photo from the last DV year (DV-2017) will be disqualified.

Please refer to the DV-2018 Instructions at usvisas.state.gov/dv/instructions for complete program rules and answers to Frequently Asked Questions from entrants.

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DV 2017 Program or Green Card Lottery registration period opens on October 01, 2015 and ends on November 03, 2015. Период регистрации в лотерею грин карт на 2017 год начанается 1 октября и зака

9/30/2015

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DV-2017 Program: Online Registration DV 2017 Program begins on Thursday, October 1, 2015 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and concludes on Tuesday, November 3, 2015 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-4).

DV-2017 lottery entries can be submitted online at only one official US Department of State website.

On September 30th 2015, US Department of State published the official DV-2017 Program Instructions in English - DV-2017 Program Instructions in PDF format. The English language version of the DV-2017 Program Instructions is the only official version.

Unofficial translations in additional languages will be added as they become available.

Note: If you do not see instructions in your native language, please see the U.S. Embassy or Consulate website to find out whether your country may have additional Diversity Visa information.

You can find official US Department of State DV-2017 lottery instructions here: http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/diversity-visa/instructions.html

For DV-2017, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply, because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated 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, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.

Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible.

I would like to highlight several important requirements:

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 and my spouse is NOT a U.S. citizen or U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR), married and my spouse IS a U.S. citizen or U.S. LPR, divorced, widowed, or legally separated. Enter the name, date of birth, gender, city/town of birth, and 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 your disqualification as the Diversity Visa principal applicant and refusal of all visa applications in your case at the time of the visa interview. You must list your spouse even if you plan to be divorced before you apply for a visa. A spouse who is already a U.S. citizen or LPR will not require or be issued a 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 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.

Be sure to include: 
*all living natural children; 
*all living children legally adopted by you; and, 
*all living step-children who are unmarried and under the age of 21 on the date of your electronic entry, even if you are no longer legally married to the child’s parent, and even if the child does not currently reside with you and/or will not immigrate with you.

Married children and children who are already aged 21 or older when you submit your entry are not eligible for the DV program. However, the Child Status Protection Act protects children from “aging out” in certain circumstances. If your DV entry is made before your unmarried child turns 21, and the child turns 21 before visa issuance, he/she may be treated as though he/she were under 21 for visa-processing purposes.

A child who is already a U.S. citizen or LPR is not eligible for a Diversity Visa; you will not be penalized for either including or omitting such family members from your entry. Failure to list all children who are eligible will result in disqualification of the principal applicant and refusal of all visa applications in the case at the time of the visa interview.

After May 01, 2016, you will be able to check your status online at another US Department of State website to see if you have been selected a winner.

We would be glad to help you to submit your DV-2017 entries properly and timely. After submitting an entry, we always save and forward to our clients confirmation pages. Please email us first and we will forward to you our brief instructions.

In Russian:

Сегодня Госдеп США наконец-то опубликовал официальные инструкции для подачи заявок в Лотерею Грин Карт на 2017 год. Прием заявок осуществляется онлайн только на одном официальном вебсайте Госдепа США.

Подача заявок через какие-то другие вебсайты не допускается. Таких "неофициальных, но выглядящих вполне легитимно" вебсайтов множество, и они выдают себя за организации как-то связанные с Госдепом, и прикрываются официальными эмблемами США, но это обычное мошенничество.

Если вам помогает адвокат или другой профессионал правильно подать заявку в лотерею, после подачи заявки они должны предоставить вам конфирмационный номер, а еще лучше сохранить и выслать по электронной почте саму конфирмационную страницу с номером и вашей биографической информацией.

Повторные заявки в течение одного периода подачи не допускаются. Ошибки не исправить после подачи заявки. Требования к фото строгие.

Начало приема заявок 01 октября 2015, и заканчивается подача заявок 03 ноября 2015.

Вы сможете узнать выбрали ли вас победителем только после 01 мая 2016, когда на особом вебсайте Госдепа США вы сможете ввести свои данные и получить ответ на вопрос: являетесь ли вы победителем.

Затем, вы перейдете на следующий этап: подача заявления на визу для себя и членов вашей семьи. На этом этапе рекомендуется пользоваться услугами квалифицированного американского иммиграционного адвоката, чтобы избежать ошибок или отказа из-за "глупости". Кстати, очень часто отказывают в грин картах по лотерее именно из-за "глупостей", которые не прощаются (например, "забыл" указать ребенка жены от первого брака, решил не указывать новорожденного ребенка рожденного вне брака "как же его сфотографируешь?" и т.п.). Поэтому может быть полезна помощь адвоката и при подаче заявки в лотерею.

Если вам нужна помощь, мы будем рады помочь правильно подать заявки на всех членов семьи, и позже с получением грин карты если вас выбрали победителем лотереи. Обращайтесь к нам по электронной почте, и мы вам вышлем список попросов и условия оплаты.

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Common Immigration Scams: helpful tips from USCIS how to avoid becoming a victim of immigration fraud or scam.

6/16/2015

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Immigration scam by a local business.

On November 20, 2014, the President announced a series of executive actions. However, not all of these initiatives have been implemented, and USCIS is not accepting any DAPA or expanded DACA applications at this time.

Beware of anyone who offers to help you submit an application or a request for any of these actions before they are available. You could become a victim of an immigration scam.

If you need legal advice on immigration matters, make sure that the person you rely on is an attorney who is authorized to give you legal advice. Only an attorney or an accredited representative working for a Board of Immigration Appeals-recognized organization can give you legal advice. An immigration attorney can be licensed in any state because immigration law is federal law. It's important to consult an experienced and knowledgeable attorney before submitting any immigration applications.

The Internet, newspapers, radio, community bulletin boards and local businesses storefronts are filled with advertisements offering immigration help. Not all of this information is from attorneys and accredited representatives. There is a lot of information that comes from organizations and individuals who are not authorized to give you legal advice, such as “notarios” and other unauthorized representatives. The wrong help can hurt. Here is some important information that can help you avoid common immigration scams.

Here are some examples of common immigration scams:

**Telephone Scams**.

Do not fall victim to telephone scammers posing as USCIS personnel or other government officials. In most instances, scammers will:

request personal information (Social Security number, Passport number, or A-number);
identify false problems with your immigration record; and
ask for payment to correct the records.

If a scammer calls you, say “No, thank you” and hang up. These phone calls are being made by immigration scammers attempting to take your money and your credit card information. USCIS will not call you to ask for any form of payment over the phone. Don’t give payment over the phone to anyone who claims to be a USCIS official.

If you have been a victim of this telephone scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Learn more about telephone scams and telephone scammers’ techniques by visiting Federal Trade Commission-Telemarketing-Scams.

**"Notario Publico"**.

In many Latin American countries, the term “notario publico” (for “notary public”) stands for something very different than what it means in the United States. In many Spanish-speaking nations, “notarios” are powerful attorneys with special legal credentials. In the U.S., however, notary publics are people appointed by state governments to witness the signing of important documents and administer oaths. "Notarios publico,” are not authorized to provide you with any legal services related to immigration.

Please see the National Notary Association website "What is a Notary Public" for more information.

**Local Businesses who are not law firms and not attorneys or lawyers**.

Some businesses in your community “guarantee” they can get you benefits such as a:

Visa
Green Card
Employment Authorization Document

These businesses sometimes charge you a higher fee to file the application than even a licensed attorney (but will tell you that attorneys charge more "for the same work"). They claim they can do this faster than if you applied directly with USCIS. These claims are false.

**Dot-com websites - operated by non-attorneys or people not authorized to give legal advice**.

Some websites offering step-by-step guidance on completing a USCIS application or petition will claim to be affiliated with USCIS. Many of these websites are scammers or fraudsters, often taking money for blank forms or minimal assistance without attorney supervision.

USCIS has its own official website: www.uscis.gov with:

Free downloadable forms
Form Instructions
Information on filing fees and processing times

Do not pay for blank USCIS forms either in person or over the Internet. You can download forms for free at www.uscis.gov.

Do not pay to a non-attorney (not a lawyer) for help with immigration paperwork, applications, affidavit. Oftentimes, they give you wrong advice and can potentially damage your chances of ever becoming a permanent resident (getting a green card).

**Green Card Lottery or DV Lottery scams**.

Once a year in fall, the Department of State (DOS) makes 50,000 diversity visas (DVs) available via random selection to persons meeting strict eligibility requirements and who come from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. During this time or often around the year, it is common for immigration scammers to advertise in emails or websites that reference either the:

DV lottery
Visa lottery
Green Card lottery

These emails and websites often claim that they can make it easier to enter the annual Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. Some scammers even identify you as a DV lottery “winner” and ask for significant amount of money "helping get a visa". These emails and websites are fraudulent.

The only way to apply for the DV lottery is through an official government application process (Department of State website, and only when it's open, during an application period which is usually in October-November only). DOS does not send emails to applicants.

On or after May 1st, you can visit the Department of State website to verify if you are actually a winner in the DV lottery.

If need help, consult a licensed attorney (not one of the "green card lottery" websites).

**INS doesn't exist. It's been replaced by DHS and USCIS**.

To this day, some local businesses, websites, "notarios" and individuals make reference to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). This agency no longer exists!

If someone refers to USCIS as "INS", it's a sign that they are not an attorney, but rather someone unqualified with little knowledge in immigration matters.

INS was dismantled on March 1, 2003, and most of its functions were transferred from the Department of Justice to three new components within the newly formed Department of Homeland Security. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the component that grants immigration benefits. The other two components are U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

All official correspondence regarding your immigration case will come from USCIS. USCIS will communicate with you and your attorney by mail, by mailing you notices, approved work permit and green card through USPS (postal service).

If you need a legal assistance, we will be glad to help. Our contact information is here.

Read here.

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DV-2016 Green Card Lottery update from the US Department of State. More than 11 million applications submitted - only 50000 green cards are available annually in this lottery. Visa issuance period starts on October 1, 2015 and ends on September 30, 2016.

6/9/2015

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Applicants from all over the world who registered for the DV-2016 program were selected at random from 11,391,134 qualified entries (17,573,350 with derivatives) received during the application period that ran from noon, Eastern Daylight Time on Wednesday, October 1, 2014 until noon, Eastern Daylight Time on Monday, November 3, 2014.

The visas have been apportioned among six geographic regions with a maximum of seven percent available to persons born in any single country.

The Kentucky Consular Center registered and notified the winners of the DV-2016 diversity lottery. Approximately 91,563 applicants have been registered and notified and may now make an application for an immigrant visa (so called"selectees" or "winners"). Some of the first *50,000 persons registered will not pursue their cases to visa issuance, this larger number (91,563 selectees) should insure that all DV-2016 numbers will be used during fiscal year 2016 (October 1, 2015 until September 30, 2016).

During the visa interview, principal applicants must provide proof of a high school education or its equivalent, or show two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience within the past five years. Those selected will need to act on their immigrant visa applications quickly. Applicants should follow the instructions in their notification letter and must fully complete the information requested.

Registrants living legally in the United States who wish to apply for adjustment of status instead of consular processing of their visas, must apply through USCIS Department of Homeland Security (** Please note that you have to be eligible for adjustment of status. Therefore, if you were selected as a winner in the Green Card lottery and you live in the United States, it's advisable to consult an experienced attorney before applying for your green card).

Once the total *50,000 visa numbers have been used, the program for fiscal year 2016 will end. Selected applicants (aka "selectees" or "winners") who do not receive visas by September 30, 2016 will derive no further benefit from their DV-2016 registration. Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV-2016 principal applicants are only entitled to derivative diversity visa status until September 30, 2016.

Section 203(c) of the INA provides up to 55,000 immigrant visas each fiscal year to permit additional immigration opportunities for persons from countries with low admissions during the previous five years. The NACARA stipulates that beginning with DV-99, and for as long as necessary, up to 5,000 of the 55,000 annually-allocated diversity visas will be made available for use under the NACARA program. This resulted in reduction of the DV-2015 annual limit to 50,000. DV visas are divided among six geographic regions. No one country can receive more than seven percent of the available diversity visas in any one year.

P.S. Our office would be happy to assist you with your DV visa application or adjustment of status should you be selected as a winner. Please email us to schedule a phone or Skype consultation. Please remember that a visa must be issued prior to September 30th of the current fiscal year (09-30-2016 for DV-2016 winners). No visas will be issued after this date. If selected as a winner you should act fast and submit your applications and required documents in a timely matter. Assistance of a qualified and experienced immigration attorney would be of great help to many.

The following is the statistical breakdown by foreign-state chargeability of those registered for the DV-2016 program:

AFRICA

ALGERIA  1,952

ETHIOPIA 4,000

NIGER 102

ANGOLA  108

GABON 32

RWANDA 412

BENIN  914

GAMBIA, THE 67

SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE 2

BOTSWANA  4

GHANA 3,179

SENEGAL 427

BURKINA FASO 199

GUINEA 1,818

SEYCHELLES 0

BURUNDI 208

GUINEA-BISSAU 4

SIERRA LEONE 2,141

CABO VERDE 6

KENYA 2,729

SOMALIA 272

CAMEROON 3,047

LESOTHO 5

SOUTH AFRICA 535

CENTRAL AFRICAN REP. 23

LIBERIA 4,430

SOUTH SUDAN 17

CHAD  40

LIBYA 240

SUDAN 3,216

COMOROS  3

MADAGASCAR 75

SWAZILAND 7

CONGO 124

MALAWI 17

TANZANIA 93

CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE 4,475

MALI 114

TOGO 1,241

COTE D’IVOIRE 1,129

MAURITANIA 15

TUNISIA 227

DJIBOUTI 92

MAURITIUS 41

UGANDA 453

EGYPT  4,024

MOROCCO 1,993

ZAMBIA 57

EQUATORIAL GUINEA 0

MOZAMBIQUE 11

ZIMBABWE 152

ERITREA 544

NAMIBIA 18

ASIA

AFGHANISTAN 406

JAPAN 302

QATAR 42

BAHRAIN 13

JORDAN 349

SAUDI ARABIA 267

BHUTAN 22

NORTH KOREA 0

SINGAPORE 39

BRUNEI 1

KUWAIT 143

SRI LANKA 704

BURMA 236

LAOS 1

SYRIA 460

CAMBODIA 1,229

LEBANON 225

TAIWAN 297

HONG KONG SPECIAL
ADMIN. REGION 151

MALAYSIA 95

THAILAND 73

INDONESIA 126

MALDIVES 3

TIMOR-LESTE 0

IRAN 4,501

MONGOLIA 185

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 103

IRAQ 330

NEPAL 3,801

YEMEN 724

ISRAEL 162

OMAN 12

EUROPE

ALBANIA 1,931

GREECE 93

NORWAY 35

ANDORRA 0

HUNGARY 186

POLAND 629

ARMENIA 1,277

ICELAND 3

PORTUGAL 58

AUSTRIA 50

IRELAND 89

Macau 23

AZERBAIJAN 380

ITALY 410

ROMANIA 626

BELARUS 811

KAZAKHSTAN 376

RUSSIA 2,200

BELGIUM 47

KOSOVO 244

SAN MARINO 0

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA 92

KYRGYZSTAN 209

SERBIA 283

BULGARIA 865

LATVIA 73

SLOVAKIA 70

CROATIA 67

LIECHTENSTEIN 0

SLOVENIA 33

CYPRUS 28

LITHUANIA 153

SPAIN 193

CZECH REPUBLIC 74

LUXEMBOURG 0

SWEDEN 108

DENMARK 35

MACEDONIA 258

SWITZERLAND 122

ESTONIA 40

MALTA 0

TAJIKISTAN 337

FINLAND 57

MOLDOVA 1,854

TURKEY 1,795

FRANCE 510

MONACO 0

TURKMENISTAN 124

French Polynesia 1

MONTENEGRO 8

UKRAINE 4,507

Saint Martin 1

NETHERLANDS 81

UZBEKISTAN 4,300

Wallis and Futuna 1

Aruba 4

VATICAN CITY 0

GEORGIA  571

Curacao 2

GERMANY 678

NORTHERN IRELAND 9

NORTH AMERICA

BAHAMAS, THE 16

OCEANIA

AUSTRALIA 832

NAURU 12

SAMOA 5

Cocos Islands 1

NEW ZEALAND 208

SOLOMON ISLANDS 0

FIJI 393

Cook Islands 4

TONGA 26

KIRIBATI 4

PALAU 4

TUVALU 0

MARSHALL ISLANDS 0

PAPUA NEW GUINEA 3

VANUATU 5

MICRONESIA, FEDERATED STATES OF 3

SOUTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 0

DOMINICA 6

SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS 2

ARGENTINA 68

GRENADA 7

SAINT LUCIA 5

BARBADOS 0

GUATEMALA 31

SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES 7

BELIZE 0

GUYANA 14

SURINAME 3

BOLIVIA 49

HONDURAS 73

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO 51

CHILE 17

NICARAGUA 58

URUGUAY 21

COSTA RICA 50

PANAMA 5

VENEZUELA 1,038

CUBA 1,488

PARAGUAY 7

P.S. Natives of the following countries were not eligible to participate in DV-2016: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born, excluding Hong Kong S.A.R., Macau S.A.R., and Taiwan), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.

Our office would be happy to assist you with your DV visa application or adjustment of status should you be selected as a winner. Please email us to schedule a phone or Skype consultation. Please remember that a visa must be issued prior to September 30th of the current fiscal year (09-30-2016 for DV-2016 winners). No visas will be issued after this date. If selected as a winner you should act fast and submit your applications and required documents in a timely matter. Assistance of a qualified and experienced immigration attorney would be of great help to many.

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