Diversity Visa (DV) 2010

MR: Friday, Oct 3, 2008

The Embassy of the United States of America announced that the 2010 Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery Program opened for registration on October 3, 2008 and will close on December 2, 2008.  Applicants may access the electronic diversity visa entry form at www.dvlottery.state.gov during the registration period. 

The annual DV program is administered by the Department of State and provides a maximum of 50,000 permanent resident visas to persons meeting simple, but strict, eligibility requirements.  Entry is free of charge.  To enter, applicants must be a native of an eligible country; have either a high school diploma or equivalent, or have two years of work experience in the last five years in a qualifying job.  This requirement cannot be waived.

Only one application may be submitted for each person. Family applications must include spouse and all unmarried children less than 21 years of age, with the exception of children who are already U.S. Citizens or Legal Permanent Residents.  Failure to fill out the form correctly will result in disqualification from the program.

For the first time, entrants will be able to check the status of their entry electronically.  Previously, unsuccessful entrants were not informed that their entries were not chosen and only successful entrants were notified.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early, and not to wait until the last week of registration as heavy demands may cause system delays and difficulties. 

Important Notice: The U.S. Government employs no outside consultants or private services to operate the DV program.  Any intermediaries or others who offer assistance to prepare DV casework for applicants do so without the authority or consent of the U.S. Government.  Use of any outside intermediary or assistance for the DV application is entirely at the applicant’s discretion.

Instructions for the DV2010 program are available from website: www.travel.state.gov.