1.WHAT is “ELIGIBILITY”, “NATIVE” AND “CHARGEABILITY” MEAN? ARE THERE ANY SITUATIONS IN WHICH PERSONS WHO WERE NOT BORN IN A QUALIFYING COUNTRY MAY APPLY?
Your country of eligibility is normally the same as your country of birth. However, if you are born in a country declared ineligible by the U.S Department of State for a particular year, you can charge your eligibility to your spouse or parents country of birth, provided they are born in eligible countries and neither parent was a resident of the ineligible country at the time of the your birth.. Your country of eligibility is not related to where you live.
2. WHAT DOES THE TERM “NATIVE” MEAN?
“Native” ordinarily means someone born in a particular country, regardless of the individual’s current country of residence or nationality.
3. WHAT DES THE TERM “CHARGEABILITY” MEAN?
For example, if you were born in a country that is not eligible for this year’s DV program, you may claim chargeability to the your spouse’s country of birth, or to the country of birth of either of your parents (See FAQ 1)
4. WHEN WILL ENTRIES FOR THE DV-PROGRAM BE ACCEPTED?
Generally, the DV-program entry period will run between October and December of each year the DV-program is conducted. Holding the entry period during October, November, and December will ensure that selectees are notified in a timely manner; however the massive volume of entries creates an enormous amount of work in selecting and processing successful individuals. You are strongly encouraged to apply (Apply Online) prior to the entry period to secure an early entry during the registration period. Excessive demand during the registration period may slow the system down and you may loose your chance to apply. No entries will be accepted after noon EST of the ending day of the registration period.
5. WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR EDUCATION OR WORK EXPERIENCE?
• Every entrant must have at least a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a twelve-year (12-year) course of elementary, middle and secondary education in the United States or successful completion in another country of a formal 12-year course of elementary, middle 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 are not acceptable. Documentary proof of education must be presented to the consular officer at the time of the visa interview
OR
• Entrant must have, within the past five years, two years of work experience in an occupation requiring at least two years’ training or experience. Work experience must be presented to the consular officer at the time of the visa interview.
6. What Occupations qualify for the Diversity Visa Program?
To determine eligibility based on work experience, definitions from the Department of Labor’s O*Net OnLine database ( http://online.onetcenter.org/ )will be used. The O*Net Online Database groups job experience into five “job zones.” While many occupations are listed on the DOL Website, only certain specified occupations qualify for the Diversity Visa Program. To qualify for a Diversity Visa on the basis of your work experience, you must have, within the past five years, two years of experience in an occupation that is designated as Job Zone 4 or 5, classified in a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) range of 7.0 or higher. How Do I Find the Qualifying Occupations on the Department of Labor Website? Qualifying DV Occupations are shown on the Department of Labor O*Net Online Database. Follow these steps to find out if your occupation qualifies: Select “Find Occupations” and then select a specific “Job Family.” For example, select Architecture and Engineering and click “GO.” Then click on the link for the specific Occupation. Following the same example, click Aerospace Engineers. After selecting a specific Occupation link, select the tab “Job Zone” to find out the designated Job Zone number and Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) rating range.
7. ARE THERE ANY NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS DIVERSITY VISA REGISTRATION?
Photo size requirements have increased for DV-2010 to 600 by 600 pixels. Old photos used in previous years should not be reused for DV-2010. Only color photos may be submitted for DV-2010. Black and white photos are not acceptable.
8. ARE PHOTOGRAPHS REQUIRED FOR EACH FAMILY MEMBER?
Recent and individual photographs of you, your spouse and all children under 21 years of age are required. Refer to information on the photograph requirements located photo specifications.
9. ARE THERE FEES FOR THE APPLICATION TO THE DV-PROGRAM?
No fee is charged by the U.S. Government for the electronic entry in the annual DV program. The reasonable fee ALIF charges is for services we provide you with. These services include individualized and timely assistance during the application process, expert completion of the green card application, expert preparation of qualified digital photographs, timely submission to the U.S Department of State website in due time and timely Information by e-mail, phone or fax and much more
10. ARE THERE ANY OTHER FEES FOR THE E-DV PROGRAM?
After being seclected, DV applicants must pay all required visa fees at the time of visa application directly to the consular cashier at the embassy or consulate. Details of required diversity visa and immigration visa application fees will be included with the instructions sent by the Kentucky Consular Center to applicants who are selected.
11. WHY DO NATIVES OF CERTAIN COUNTRIES NOT QUALIFY FOR THE DIVERSITY PROGRAM?
Diversity visas are intended to provide an immigration opportunity for persons from countries other than the countries that send large numbers of immigrants to the U.S. The law states that no diversity visas shall be provided for natives of “high-admission” countries. The law defines this to mean countries from which a total of 50,000 persons in the Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based visa categories immigrated to the United States during the previous five years. Each year, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) adds the family and employment immigrant admission figures for the previous five years to identify the countries whose natives will be ineligible for the annual diversity lottery. Because there is a separate determination made before each annual E-DV entry period, the list of countries whose natives are not eligible may change from one year to the next.
12. WHAT ARE THE REGIONAL DIVERSITY VISA (DV) LIMITS FOR DV-2010?
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) determines the DV regional limits for each year according to a formula specified in Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Once the USCIS has completed the calculations, the regional visa limits will be announced.
13. MAY PERSONS WHO ARE IN THE U.S. APPLY FOR THE PROGRAM?
Yes, an applicant may be in the U.S. or in another country, and the entry may be submitted from the United States or from abroad.
14. IS EACH APPLICANT LIMITED TO ONLY ONE ENTRY DURING THE ANNUAL E-DV REGISTRATION PERIOD?
Yes, the law allows only one entry by or for each person during each registration period. You will be disqualified if you submit more than one entry and an electronic record will be permanently maintained by the Department of State.
15. MAY A HUSBAND AND A WIFE EACH SUBMIT A SEPARATE ENTRY?
Yes, a husband and a wife may each submit one entry if each meets the eligibility conditions. If either is selected, the other is entitled to derivative status.
16. WHAT FAMILY MEMBERS MUST BE INCLUDED IN MY E-DV ENTRY?
• With You must list your spouse even if you are currently separated from him/her, unless you are legally separated (i.e., there is a written agreement recognized by a court or a court order). If you are legally separated or divorced, you do not need to list your former spouse.
• the exception of children who are already U.S. citizens or Legal Permanent Residents, you must list ALL your children who are unmarried and under 21 years of age at the time of your initial electronic DV entry, whether they are your natural children, your spouse’s children, or children you have formally adopted in accordance with the laws of your country. 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. The fact that you have listed family members on your entry does not mean that they must travel with you. They may choose to remain behind. However, if you include an eligible dependent on your visa application forms that you failed to include on your original entry, your case will be disqualified. This only applies to those who were family members at the time the original application was submitted, not those acquired at a later date.
17. MUST I SUBMIT MY OWN ENTRY, OR MAY SOMEONE ACT ON MY BEHALF?
You may prepare and submit your own entry, or have someone submit the entry for you. Regardless of whether an entry is submitted by the individual directly, or assistance is provided by a private company, an attorney, friend, relative, etc., only one entry may be submitted in the name of each person, and the entrant remains responsible for ensuring that information in the entry is correct and complete. If the entry is selected, the notification letter will be sent only to the mailing address provided on the entry. All entrants, including those not selected, will be able to check the status of their entry through the official DV website. Entrants should keep their own confirmation page information so that they may independently check the status of their entry.
18. HOW WILL SUCCESSFUL ENTRANTS BE SELECTED?
At the Kentucky Consular Center, all entries received from each region will be individually numbered. After the end of the registration period, a computer will randomly select entries from among all the entries received for each geographic region. Within each region, the first entry randomly selected will be the first case registered; the second entry selected the second registration, etc. All entries received during the registration period will have an equal chance of being selected within each region. When an entry has been selected, the entrant will be sent a notification letter by the Kentucky Consular Center, which will provide visa application instructions. The Kentucky Consular Center will continue to process the case until those selected to be visa applicants are instructed to appear for visa interviews at a U.S. consular office or until those qualifying to change status in the United States apply at a domestic USCIS office. Important Note: Notifications to those selected in the random lottery are not sent by e-mail. If selected, you will receive an e-mail only from us if you have provided a valid e-mail address. Should you receive an e-mail notification from another source about your green card lottery selection, be aware that the message is not legitimate and contact us immediately.
19. MAY SELECTEES ADJUST THEIR STATUS WITH USCIS?
Yes, provided they are otherwise eligible to adjust status under the terms of Section 245 of the INA, selected individuals who are physically present in the United States may apply to the USCIS for adjustment of status to permanent resident.
20. WILL ENTRANTS WHO ARE NOT SELECTED BE INFORMED?
Starting with DV-2010, all entrants, including those NOT selected, will be able to check the status of their entry through the E-DV website and find out if their entry was or was not selected.
Entrants should keep their own confirmation page information from the time of their entry (October 2, 2008, to December 1, 2008) until they may check the status of their entry online. Status information for DV-2010 will be available online from July 1, 2009, until June 30, 2010. All notification letters are sent to the address indicated on the entry within five to seven months from the end of the application period.
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