Dependents family.

Family members.

Spouse:  

If you are legally married, you must list your spouse regardless of whether he/she lives with you or intends to immigrate to the United States.  You must list your spouse even if you currently are separated from him/her unless you are legally separated.  Legal separation is an arrangement when a couple remains married but lives apart, following a court order.  If you and your spouse are legally separated, your spouse will not be able to immigrate with you through the Diversity Visa program.  You will not be penalized if you choose to enter the name of a spouse from whom you are legally separated.  If you are not legally separated by a court order, you must include your spouse even if you plan to be divorced before you apply for the Diversity Visa or your spouse does not intend to immigrate. Failure to list your eligible spouse or listing someone who is not your spouse will make you ineligible for a DV.  If you are not married at the time of entry but plan on getting married in the future, do not list a spouse on your entry form, as this would make you ineligible for a DV.  If you are divorced or your spouse is deceased, you do not have to list your former spouse. 

The only exception to this requirement is if your spouse is already a U.S. citizen or U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident.  If your spouse is a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident, do not list him/her in your entry.  A spouse who is already a U.S. citizen or a Lawful Permanent Resident will not require or be issued a DV.  Therefore, if you select “married and my spouse IS a U.S. citizen or U.S. LPR” on your entry, you will not be able to include further information on your spouse. 

Children: 

You must list ALL your living children who are unmarried and under 21 years of age at the time of your initial DV entry, whether they are your natural children, your stepchildren (even if you are now divorced from that child’s parent), your spouse’s children, or children you have formally adopted in accordance with the applicable laws.  List all children under 21 years of age at the time of your electronic entry, even if they no longer reside with you or you do not intend for them to immigrate under the DV program.  You are not required to list children who are already U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents, though you will not be penalized if you do include them. 

Parents and siblings of the entrant are ineligible to receive DV visas as dependents, and you should not include them in your entry. 

If you list family members on your entry, they are not required to apply for a visa or to immigrate or travel with you.  However, if you fail to include an eligible dependent on your original entry or list someone who is not your dependent, you will be ineligible for a DV, and your spouse and children will be ineligible for derivative DVs.  This only applies to those who were family members at the time the entry was submitted, not those acquired at a later date.  Your spouse, if eligible to enter, may still submit a separate entry even though he or she is listed on your entry, and both entries must include details about all dependents in your family. 

Deceptive emails.

 "Sending money or providing your personal information."

You may receive emails from websites that try to trick you into sending money or providing your personal information.  You may be asked to pay for forms and information about immigration procedures, all of which are available free on the Department of State website, travel.state.gov, or through U.S. embassy or consulate websites.  Additionally, organizations or websites may try to steal

Your money by charging fees for DV-related services.  If you send money to one of these non- government organizations or websites, you will likely never see it again.  Also, do not send personal information to these websites, as it may be used for identity fraud/theft. 

Deceptive emails may come from people pretending to be affiliated with the Kentucky Consular Center or the Department of State.  Remember that the U.S. government has never sent emails to notify individuals they have been selected, and there are no plans to use email for this purpose for the DV-2024 program.  The Department of State will never ask you to send money by mail or by services such as Western Union, although applications to USCIS for adjustments of status do require mailing a fee.  

The U.S. government has never sent emails to notify individuals that they have been selected,

 

The U.S. government has never sent emails to notify individuals that they have been selected,

The Department of State will not send you a notification letter.  The U.S. government has never sent emails to notify individuals that they have been selected, and there are no plans to use email for this purpose for the DV-2024 program.  If you are a selectee, you will only receive email communications regarding your visa appointment after you have responded to the notification instructions on Entrant Status Check, if an immigrant visa interview becomes available.  These emails will not contain information on the actual appointment date and time; they will simply tell you to go to the Entrant Status Check website for details.  The Department of State may send emails reminding DV program applicants to check the Entrant Status Check for their status.  However, such emails will never indicate whether the DV program applicant was selected or not. 

Only internet sites that end with the “.gov” domain suffix are official U.S. government websites.  Many other websites (e.g., with the suffixes “.com,” “.org,” or “.net”) provide immigration and visa-related information and services.  The Department of State does not endorse, recommend, or sponsor any information or material on these other websites. 

Am already in the United States. Am selected, i adjust my status with USCIS.

You can adjust status with USCIS.

Provided you are otherwise eligible to adjust status under the terms of Section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act(INA), you may apply to USCIS for adjustment of status to permanent resident.  You must ensure that USCIS can completeaction on your case, including processing of any overseas applications for a spouse or for children under 21 years of age, before September 30, 2024, since on that date your eligibility for the DV-2024 program expires.  The Department of State will not approve any visa numbers or adjustments of status for the DV-2024 program after midnight EDT on September 30, 2024. 



If you are selected in the DV-2024 program, you are entitled to apply for visa issuance only during U.S. government fiscal year2024, which is from October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024. We encourage selectees to apply for visas as early as possible once their program rank numbers become eligible. 

Without exception, all selected and eligible applicants must obtain their visa or adjust status by the end of the fiscal year. There is no carry-over of DV benefits into the next year for persons who are selected but who do not obtain visas by September 30, 2024 (the end of the fiscal year).  Also, spouses and children who derive status from a DV-2024 registration can only obtain visas in the DV category between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024.  Individuals who apply overseas will receive an appointment notification from the Department of State through Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website four to six weeks before the scheduled appointment. 

Do not send personal information to these websites.

do not send personal information to these websites.

You may receive emails from websites that try to trick you into sending money or providing your personal information.  You may be asked to pay for forms and information about immigration procedures, all of which are available free on the Department of State website, travel.state.gov, or through U.S. embassy or consulate websites.  Additionally, organizations or websites may try to steal your money by charging fees for DV-related services.  If you send money to one of these non- government organizations or websites, you will likely never see it again.  Also, do not send personal information to these websites, as it may be used for identity fraud/theft. 

Deceptive emails may come from people pretending to be affiliated with the Kentucky Consular Center or the Department of State.  Remember that the U.S. government has never sent emails to notify individuals they have been selected, and there are no plans to use email for this purpose for the DV-2024 program.  The Department of State will never ask you to send money by mail or by services such as Western Union, although applications to USCIS for adjustments of status do require mailing a fee.

By law, a maximum of 55,000 visas are available each year to eligible persons.

INELIGIBILITIES 

DV applicants are subject to all grounds of ineligibility for immigrant visas specified in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).There are no special provisions for the waiver of any ground of visa ineligibility aside from those ordinarily provided in the INA, nor is there special processing for waiver requests.  Some general waiver provisions for people with close relatives who are U.S.citizens or Lawful Permanent Resident aliens may be available to DV applicants in some cases, but the time constraints in the DV program may make it difficult for applicants to benefit from such provisions. 

DV FRAUD WARNING AND SCAMS 

Please visit the econsumer.gov website, hosted by the Federal Trade Commission in cooperation with consumer-protection agencies from 36 nations.  You also may report fraud to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Internet Crime Complaint Center.  To file a complaint about unsolicited email, use the “Telemarking and Spam” complaint tool on the econsumer.govwebsite or visit the Department of Justice Unsolicited Commercial Email (“Spam”) webpage for additional information and contacts. 

DV STATISTICS 

By law, a maximum of 55,000 visas are available each year to eligible persons.  

MISCELLANEOUS 

The U.S. government will not provide any of these services to you if you receive a visa through the DV program.  If you are selected to apply for a DV, before being issued a visa you must demonstrate that you will not become a public charge in the United States.  If you are selected and submit a diversity visa application, you should familiarize yourself with the Department of State’s public guidance on how the likelihood of becoming a public charge is assessed and what evidence can be provided to demonstrate that you are not likely to become a public charge.

There is no FEE charged to submit an electronic entry.

FEES  

There is no fee charged to submit an electronic entry. However, if you are selected and apply for a Diversity Visa, you must pay all required visa application fees at the time of visa application and interview directly to the consular cashier at the U.S.embassy or consulate.  If you are a selectee already in the United States and you apply to USCIS to adjust status, you will pay all required fees directly to USCIS.  If you are selected, you will receive details of required fees with the instructions provided through the E-DV website at dvprogram.state.gov. 


If you are a randomly selected entrant, you will receive instructions for the DV application process through Entrant Status Check at dvprogram.state.gov.  You will pay all fees in person only at the U.S. embassy or consulate at the time of the visa application.The consular cashier will immediately give you a U.S. government receipt for payment.  Do not send money for DV fees to anyone through the mail, Western Union, or any other delivery service if you are applying for an immigrant visa at a U.S.embassy or consulate. 

If you are selected and are already present in the United States and plan to file for adjustment of status with USCIS, the instructions page accessible through Entrant Status Check at dvprogram.state.gov contains separate instructions on how to mail adjustment of status application fees to a U.S. bank. 

Visa application fees cannot be refunded.  You must meet all qualifications for the visa as detailed in these instructions.  If a consular officer determines you do not meet requirements for the visa, or you are otherwise ineligible for the DV under U.S. law, the officer cannot issue a visa and you will forfeit all fees paid.

LIST OF COUNTRIES/AREAS BY REGION WHOSE NATIVES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR DV-2025

LIST OF COUNTRIES/AREAS BY REGION WHOSE NATIVES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR DV-2025

The list below shows the countries and areas whose natives are eligible for DV-2025, grouped by geographic region.  Dependentareas overseas are included within the region of the governing country.  USCIS identified the countries whose natives are not eligible for the DV-2025 program according to the formula in Section 203(c) of the INA.  The countries whose natives are not eligible for the DV program (because they are the principal source countries of Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based immigration or “high-admission” countries) are noted after the respective regional lists.

AFRICA

Algeria 
Angola 
Benin 
Botswana 
Burkina Faso 
Burundi 
Cameroon 
Cabo Verde Central African Republic 
Chad 
Comoros 
Congo 
Congo, Democratic Republic of the Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Djibouti 
Egypt* 
Equatorial Guinea 
Eritrea 
Eswatini
Ethiopia 
Gabon 
Gambia, The 
Ghana 
Guinea 
Guinea-Bissau 
Kenya 
Lesotho 
Liberia 
Libya 
Madagascar 
Malawi 
Mali 
Mauritania 
Mauritius 
Morocco 
Mozambique 
Namibia 
Niger 
Rwanda 
Sao Tome and Principe 
Senegal 
Seychelles 
Sierra Leone 
Somalia 
South Africa 
South Sudan 
Sudan
Tanzania 
Togo 
Tunisia 
Uganda 
Zambia 
Zimbabwe

In Africa, natives of Nigeria are not eligible for this year’s Diversity Visa program. 

ASIA

Afghanistan 
Bahrain 
Bhutan 
Brunei 
Burma 
Cambodia 
Indonesia 
Iran 
Iraq 
Israel* 
Japan*** 
Jordan* 
Kuwait 
Laos 
Lebanon 
Malaysia 
Maldives 
Mongolia 
Nepal 
North Korea 
Oman 
Qatar 
Saudi Arabia Singapore 
Sri Lanka 
Syria* 
Taiwan** 
Thailand Timor-Leste 
United Arab Emirates Yemen

*Persons born in the areas administered prior to June 1967 by Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt are chargeable, respectively, to Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt.  Persons born in the Gaza Strip are chargeable to Egypt; persons born in the West Bank are chargeable to Jordan; persons born in the Golan Heights are chargeable to Syria. 

** Macau S.A.R. (Europe region, chargeable to Portugal) and Taiwan (Asia region) do qualify and are listed. For the purposes of the diversity program only, persons born in Macau S.A.R. derive eligibility from Portugal. 

***Persons born in the Habomai Islands, Shikotan, Kunashiri, and Etorofu are chargeable to Japan.  Persons born in Southern Sakhalin are chargeable to Russia. 

Natives of the following Asia Region countries are not eligible for this year’s Diversity Visa program: Bangladesh, China (including Hong Kong), India, Pakistan, South Korea, Philippines, and Vietnam. 

EUROPE

Albania Andorra Armenia

Austria 

Azerbaijan 
Belarus 
Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria

Croatia 
Cyprus 
Czech Republic 
Denmark (including components and dependent areas overseas) Estonia 
Finland 
France (including components and 
dependent areas overseas) 
Georgia 
Germany 
Greece 
Hungary 
Iceland 
Ireland 
Italy 
Kazakhstan 
Kosovo 
Kyrgyzstan 
Latvia 
Liechtenstein 
Lithuania 
Luxembourg 
Macau Special Administrative Region** 
North Macedonia 
Malta 
Moldova 
Monaco 
Montenegro 
Netherlands (including components and dependent areas overseas) Northern Ireland*** 
Norway (including components and 
dependent areas overseas) 
Poland 
Portugal (including components and dependent areas overseas) Romania 
Russia**** 
San Marino 
Serbia 
Slovakia 
Slovenia 
Spain 
Sweden 
Switzerland 
Tajikistan 
Turkey 
Turkmenistan 
Ukraine 
Uzbekistan 
Vatican City

** Macau S.A.R. does qualify and is listed above and for the purposes of the diversity program only; persons born in Macau S.A.R. derive eligibility from Portugal. 

***For purposes of the diversity program only, Northern Ireland is treated separately.  Northern Ireland does qualify and is listed among the qualifying areas.

**** Persons born in the Habomai Islands, Shikotan, Kunashiri, and Etorofu are chargeable to Japan. Persons born in Southern Sakhalin are chargeable to Russia.

Natives of the following European countries are not eligible for this year’s DV program:  Great Britain (United Kingdom).  Great Britain (United Kingdom) includes the following dependent areas:  Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, British Indian Ocean Territory, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, St. Helena, and Turks and Caicos Islands.

NORTH AMERICA 

Bahamas, The 


In North America, natives of Canada and Mexico are not eligible for this year’s DV program.

OCEANIA

Australia (including components and  dependent areas overseas) 
Fiji 
Kiribati 
Marshall Islands 
Micronesia, Federated States of 
Nauru 
New Zealand (including components and  dependent areas overseas) 
Palau 
Papua New Guinea 
Samoa 
Solomon Islands 
Tonga 
Tuvalu 
Vanuatu

SOUTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN

Antigua and Barbuda Argentina 
Barbados 
Belize 
Bolivia 
Chile 
Costa Rica 
Cuba 
Dominica 
Ecuador 
Grenada

Guatemala Guyana Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru

Saint Kitts and Nevis 
Saint Lucia 
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname 
Trinidad and Tobago 
Uruguay

Countries in this region whose natives are not eligible for this year’s DV program: 
Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, and Venezuela.

Submitting a Digital Photograph for DV lottery.

Submitting a Digital Photograph 

You can take a new digital photograph or scan a recent (taken within the last six months) photograph with a digital scanner, if it meets all of the standards below.  DV entry photos must be of the same quality and composition as U.S. visa photos.  You can see examples of acceptable photos here.  Do not submit a photograph older than six months or a photograph that does not meet all of the standards described below.  Submitting the same photograph that you submitted with a prior year’s entry, a photograph that has been manipulated, or a photograph that does not meet the specifications below will make you ineligible for a DV. 

Your photos or digital images must be:

 In color, In focus

•  Sized such that the head is between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (22 mm and 35 mm) or 50 percentand 69 percent of the image's total height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.View the Photo Composition Template for more size requirement details.

•  Taken within the last six months to reflect your current appearance

•  Taken in front of a plain white or off-white background

•  Taken in full-face view directly facing the camera

•  With a neutral facial expression and both eyes open

•  Taken in clothing that you normally wear on a daily basis

•  Uniforms should not be worn in your photo, except religious clothing that is worn daily.

Do not wear a hat or head covering that obscures the hair or hairline, unless worn daily for a religious purpose.  Your full face must be visible, and the head covering must not cast any shadows on your face. 
Headphones, wireless hands-free devices, or similar items are not acceptable in your photo.

•  Do not wear eyeglasses.

•  If you normally wear a hearing device or similar articles, they may be worn in your photo.

  Review the Photo Examples to see examples of acceptable and unacceptable photos.  Photos copied or digitally scanned from driver’s licenses or other official documents are not acceptable.  In addition, snapshots, magazine photos, low quality vending machine, and full-length photographs are not acceptable.

  
  

  You must upload your digital image as part of your entry.  

  Your digital image must be:

•  In JPEG (.jpg) file format

•  Equal to or less than 240 kB (kilobytes) in file size

•  In a square aspect ratio (height must equal width)

•  600x600 pixels in dimension

In addition to the digital image requirements, your existing photo must be:

2x2inches(51x51mm) 
Scanned at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch (12 pixels per millimeter)

Taking photos of your baby or toddler,

When taking a photo of your baby or toddler, no other person should be in the photo, and your child should be looking at the camera with his or her eyes open.

Tip-Lay your baby on his or her back on a plain white or off-white sheet.  

This will ensure your baby's head is supported and provide a plain background

for the photo.  Make certain there are no shadows on your baby's face, especially if you take a picture from above with the baby lying down. 

Tip-Cover a car seat with a plain white or off-white sheet and take a picture of your child in the car seat.  This will also ensure your baby’s head is supported.