INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE 2013 DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM (DV-2013)
The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered on an annual basis by the Department
Of State and conducted based on United States law, specifically Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act
(INA). This law provides for a class of immigrants known as ―diversity immigrants,‖ with visas made available to persons
From countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. For fiscal year 2013, 50,000 diversity visas
Will be available.
The annual DV program makes visas available to persons meeting simple, but strict, eligibility requirements. A computergenerated, random drawing chooses selectees for DVs. The visas are distributed among six geographic regions, and
Within each region, no single country may receive more than seven percent of the available DVs in any one year. Visas
Are allocated to nationals of countries with historically lower rates of U. S. immigration. Nationals of countries who have
Sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the past five years are not eligible to apply for the Diversity
Visa program.
For DV-2013, natives of the following countries
1
Are not eligible to apply because the countries sent a total of 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, GUATEMALA, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO,
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.
Changes in eligibility this year:
For DV-2013, natives of South Sudan and Poland are now eligible for selection, while Bangladesh natives are now
Ineligible.
The Department of State implemented the electronic registration system beginning with DV-2005 in order to make the DV
Process more efficient and secure. The Department utilizes special technology and other means to identify those who
Commit fraud for the purposes of illegal immigration or those who submit multiple entries.
DV REGISTRATION PERIOD
Entries for the DV-2013 DV program must be submitted electronically between noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
(GMT-4), Tuesday, October 4, 2011, and noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Saturday, November 5, 2011.
Applicants may access the electronic DV Entry Form (E-DV) at www. dvlottery. state. gov during the registration
Period. 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 5, 2011.
1
The term “country” in this notice includes countries, economies, and other jurisdictions explicitly listed at the end of these
Instructions. 2
REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRY
To enter the DV program, you must be a native of one of the listed countries. See List Of Countries
By Region Whose Natives Qualify.
Native of a qualifying country: In most cases, this means the country in which you were born.
However, there are two other ways you may be able to qualify. First, if you were born in a country whose
Natives are ineligible but your spouse was born in a country whose natives are eligible, you can claim
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