US Immigration Explained

2010 Visa Lottery begins October 2nd
The Department of State has just announced that the 2010 Diversity Lottery will begin at Noon EDT on October 2, 2008 and run until Noon December 1st, 2008. This electronic selection process makes a maximum of 50,000 Diversity Visas available to individuals from countries with lower rates of immigration.

Origins of the Diversity Visa:
In 1965, the Immigration and Nationality Act (Hart-Celler Act) did away with national-origin quotas that were in place since the Immigration Act of 1924. However, the DOS (Department of State) realized that certain countries always had more visa applications than others. To make the process more proportionate, the Diversity Lottery program was set up to allow for those countries with lower representation to have a special opportunity to apply. Thus, U.S. Congress amended the Immigration and Naturalization Act in 1990 to provide for a class of immigrants known as ‘diversity immigrants’.
In order to insure that there are a total of 50,000 qualified applicants, 110,000 applications will be accepted during the 61 day window of opportunity. This is to account for the fact that many applications will have incomplete information or the applicant cannot fully qualify for the diversity visa.

Countries that DO NOT qualify for the 2010 DV Lottery:
The following countries do not qualify because they sent more than 50,000 immigrants to America during the past five years.

Qualifications for the DV Lottery:
To qualify for this DV lottery, it generally means you must have been born in one of the aforementioned countries. Where you live now is not a factor. However, there are two other ways you can qualify.

1. If you were born in a country that does not qualify, but your spouse was born in a country that does qualify, you can claim you spouse’s country of birth, provided you are both named on the application, each receive a visa and enter the U.S. together.
2. If you were born in a country that does not qualify, but neither of your parents was born there nor lived there at the time of your birth, you may claim the country of one of your parents if it qualifies.

Also, you must have either a high school diploma or the equivalent, or have two years work experience within the past five years that required at least two years training or experience. A G.E.D. is not acceptable.
Applying for the DV Lottery:
Entries for the lottery will only be accepted electronically. No paper applications will be accepted. This is the CIS website where you can apply:
www.dvlottery.state.gov
You can only apply once during the application period and it must be received by CIS within the dates of application. Duplicate, early or late applications will be disqualified. Applications must be completed on the government website. You can not download a copy of the application and fill it out later. A friend, lawyer or associate can fill out the computer form for you, but you are responsible for the information entered on the form.
Once your application is entered into the CIS website, the application will be individually numbered. After the December 1, 2008 deadline, a computer will generate a list of random numbers for each geographic region. These will be the winning numbers to be accepted by CIS. If your application number is among this list, you will be notified by mail between May and July 2009.
The successful applicant is also allowed to submit visa applications for his spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21. A married couple can apply separately. If the husband and wife both meet eligibility requirements, they are considered individual applications. Then, if either is selected, the other is entitled to be added later. If you are legally separated or divorced, you do not need to list your former spouse.
The DV-2010 visas will be issued between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010. After this date, no other Diversity Visas can be issued or adjustments be made. Nor can family members obtain visas to follow-to-join the principal applicant in the U.S.
All ‘winners’ will be notified by postal mail at the mailing address provided on the form. However, anyone can check the status of their application on the CIS website after July 1, 2009 using the unique conformation number that will be issued when you apply.
In order to receive a Diversity Visa, all eligibility requirements must be met under U.S. law and the electronic form must be filled out completely and accurately. There are no fees for submitting an electronic lottery entry. You must be at least 18 to apply. If you are already registered for a visa in another category, you can still apply for the DV program. The death of an applicant during this process voids out the application and all eligible persons on the application.
Technical requirements that must be met:
Because the form must be filled out on-line within 60 minutes, it is necessary that you have everything ready before beginning the process. If the application is not submitted within one hour after initial download, all information entered will be lost and discarded. Therefore, be fully prepared before opening the two-part form on the website.
Photographs must be submitted with your application. They include: you, your spouse and any unmarried children under the age of 21. Even if your children do not live with you or you do not plan for them to immigrate with you, they must be included. However, if the child is already a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident, they do not need to be included.
Family portraits will not be accepted. They must be well focused color photos of the individual full face looking directly into the camera (similar to passport or driver’s license photos). Black and white monochrome images will not be accepted. The background should be neutral or light-colored. Black or very dark backgrounds are not acceptable. The person should not wear anything to cover their face such as sunglasses or distracting hats. However, if the head covering is worn for religious reasons, it still can not obscure facial features.
The camera used must produce at least 24-bit color depth or True Color. Submitted image must be JPEG format no larger than 240 KB. Resolution must be 600 X 600 pixels. If scanning in a photo, the scanning resolution must be at least 150 dpi.
If the photos submitted do not meet these requirements, the system will automatically reject the entry. Should this happen, you must either resubmit approved photos or log off and start over later when you have the correct images. You can try to submit an application as many times as necessary until the completed application has been officially received and your confirmation notice sent.
Information that must be entered:

1. Your full name.
2. Date of birth.
3. Gender.
4. City where you were born.
5. Country where you were born. (As it is on a map today.)
6. Country of Eligibility or Chargeability. (Normally the same as where you were born. However, it can be the country whereby you qualify under the aforementioned regulations.)
7. Entry Photographs. (All who qualify.)
8. Mailing Address.
9. Country where you live today.
10. Phone number. (Optional)
11. E-mail address. (Optional)
12. Highest level of Education achieved.
13. Marital Status.
14. Number of Children. (Include name, date and place of birth of children and spouse.)
15. Spouse information. (Include name, date of birth, gender, place of birth and photo.)

Fraud warning:
Except for the ‘immediate’ confirmation of receipt by CIS, you will not be informed of your DV status via e-mail. They will only send a confirmation letter to your home address. Therefore, any e-mail received informing you of such notification must be considered fraudulent. A third party service can not improve one’s chances of success. Therefore, an organization that promises increased odds must be considered fraudulent. Because this is a free service, anyone charging for this service should be considered a scam. All they can do is help you fill out the form since attention to details is important. However, you should be wary of giving personal information to people you do not know.
If you suspect that you or someone you know has been defrauded by a company promising to insure lottery winners, please contact the local consumer affairs office or the National Fraud Information Center at 1-800-876-7060. If you have questions concerning the DV Lottery or any immigration matter, you are strongly advised to consult with a qualified immigration attorney who is well informed of the latest laws and their complexities.

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Tags: 2010 Visa Lottery, Lottery