Saturday, June 10, 2023

The required information will make you eligible for a DV.

The required information will make you eligible for a DV. 



1. Name:

- Last/family name, 

- First name, 

- Middle name  exactly as it appears on yourpassport, if you have a passport (for example, if your passport shows only your first and last/family name, please list your last/family name and then first name; do not include a middle name unless it is included on your passport.  If your passport includes a first, middle and last/family name, please list them in the following order:  last/family name, first name, middle name).  If you have only one name, it must be entered in the last/family name field. 

  1. Gender – male or female.

  2. Birth date – day, month, year.

  3. City where you were born.

  4. Country where you were born  Use the name of the country currently used for the place where you were born.

  5. 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 or your nationality if it is different from your country of birth.  If you were born in a country that is not eligible,

  6. Entrant photograph(s) – Recent photographs (taken within the last six months) of yourself, your spouse, and all your derivative children included on your entry.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.

    DV entry photographs must meet the same standards as U.S. visa photos.  You will be ineligible for a DV if the entry photographs for you and your family members do not fully meet these specifications or have been manipulated in any way.  Submitting the same photograph that was submitted with a prior year’s entry will make you ineligible for a DV.  

  7. Mailing Address:

    – In Care Of  Address Line 1  Address Line 2

    City/Town District/Country/Province/State Postal Code/Zip Code Country

  8. Country where you live today.

  9. Phone number (optional).

  10. Email address – An email address to which you have direct access and will continue to have direct access through May of the next year.  If you check the Entrant Status Check in May and learn you have been selected, you will later receive follow-up email communication from the Department of State with details if an immigrant visa interview becomes available.  The Department of State will never send you an email telling you that you have been selected for the DV


  1. 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, or 

    (10) Doctorate.  


    Current marital status: 

    (1)  Unmarried, 

    (2)  Married and my spouse is NOT a U.S. citizen or U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR), 

    (3)  Married and my spouse IS a U.S. citizen or U.S. LPR, 

    (4) Divorced, 

    (5) Widowed, or 

    (6) 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 or, listing someone who is not your spouse, will make you ineligible as the DV principal applicant and your spouse and children ineligible as DV derivativeapplicants.  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 remain married but live 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 DV 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.

    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 you submit your DV entry before your unmarried child turns 21, and the child turns 21 before visa issuance, it is possible that he or she may be treated as though he or she were under 21 for visa processing purposes.


Digital image requirements


Passport size photo requirement.


1.  Your photo must be in color.


2.  Your head between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (22 mm and 35 mm) or 50% and 69% of the image's total height from the  bottom of the chin to the top of the head.


3.  Your photo taken within the last 6 months to reflect your current appearance.


4.  Your photo must take in front of a plain white or off-white background.


5.  You should take picture in full-face view directly facing the camera.


6.  With a neutral facial expression and both eyes open.


7.  In clothing that you normally wear on a daily basis.


8.  I urge NOT to 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.


8.  Vey important!!!! Eyeglasses are no longer allowed in new visa photos.



       

Digital image

  •  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




Digital image requirements

      2x2inches(51x51mm) 
      Resolution of 300 pixels per inch 

     (12 pixels per millimeter)



Baby or toddler

    -Lay your baby on his or her back on a plain         white or off-white sheet. 
     Make certain there are no shadows on baby's face,


    -Cover a seat with a plain white or off-white sheet and take a picture.

Education or work experience.

 Education or work experience.



U.S. immigration law and regulations require that every DV entrant must have at least a high school education or its equivalent or have two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience.  A high school education or equivalent” is defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education in the United States OR the successful completion in another country of a formal course of elementary and secondary education comparable to a high school education in the United States.  Only formal courses of study meet this requirement; correspondence programs or equivalency certificates (such as the General Equivalency Diploma [G.E.D.]) are not acceptable.  You must present documentary proof of education or work experience to the consular officer at the time of the visa interview.  

Minimum age to apply for the E-DV Program



Minimum age to apply for the E-DV Program




There is no minimum age to apply, but the requirement of a high school education or above and work experience for each principal applicant at the time of application will effectively disqualify most persons who are under age 18.  

Once you receive a confirmation notice, your entry is complete, and you should NOT submit any additional entries.

 E-DV system rejects entry

You can resubmit your entry as long as your submission is completed by 12:00 pm (noon) Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5) on November 8, 2023.  You will not be penalized for submitting a duplicate entry if the E-DV system rejects your initial entry.  Given the unpredictable nature of the Internet, you may not receive the rejection notice immediately. You can try to submit an application as many times as is necessary until a complete application is received and the confirmation notice sent. Once you receive a confirmation notice, your entry is complete, and you should NOT submit any additional entries.


Electronic confirmation notice

You should receive the confirmation notice immediately, including a confirmation number that you must record and keep.However, the unpredictable nature of the Internet can result in delays. You can hit the “Submit” button as many times as is necessary until a complete application is sent and you receive the confirmation notice.  However, once you receive a confirmation notice, do not resubmit your information. 


Disqualified

If you did not receive a confirmation number, your entry was not recorded.  You must submit another entry.  It will not be counted as a duplicate.  Once you receive a confirmation number, do not resubmit your information. 

Friday, June 9, 2023

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.

INFORMATION.

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