Instructions For The 2023 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (Dv- 2023)

Instructions For The 2023 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (Dv- 2023);- The Department of State annually administers the statutorily created Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides for a class of immigrants known as “diversity immigrants” from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.

For Fiscal Year 2023, up to 55,000 Diversity Visas (DVs) will be available. There is no cost to register for the DV program.

Instructions For The 2023 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (Dv- 2023)

Applicants who are selected in the program (selectees) must meet simple but strict eligibility requirements to qualify for a DV. The Department of State determines selectees through a randomized computer drawing. The Department of State distributes diversity visas among six geographic regions, and no single country may receive more than seven percent of the available DVs in any one year.

For DV-2023, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply, because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States in the previous five years:

Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

Natives of Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.

Eligibility

Requirement #1: Natives of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States may be eligible to enter.

If you are not a native of a country with historically low rates of immigration to the United States, there are two other ways you might be able to qualify.

• Is your spouse a native of a country with historically low rates of immigration to the United States? If yes, you can claim your spouse’s country of birth – provided that you and your spouse are named on the selected entry, are found eligible and issued diversity visas, and enter the United States at the same
• Are you a native of a country that does not have historically low rates of immigration to the United States, but in which neither of your parents was born or legally resident at the time of your birth? If yes, you may claim the country of birth of one of your parents if it is a country whose natives are eligible for the DV-2023 program. For more details on what this means,

Requirement #2: Each DV applicant must meet the education/work experience requirement of the DV program by having either:

• at least a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completionof a 12-year course of formal elementary and secondary education;

OR

• two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform. The Department of State will use the U.S. Department of Labor’sO*Net Online database to determine qualifying work

Entry period

Applicants must submit entries for the DV-2023 program electronically at dvprogram.state.gov between 12:00 pm (noon), Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Wednesday, October 6, 2021, and 12:00 pm (noon), Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT- 5), Tuesday, November 9, 2021. Do not wait until the last week of the registration period to enter as heavy demand may result in website delays. No late entries or paper entries will be accepted. The law allows only one entry per person during each entry period. The Department of State uses sophisticated technology to detect multiple

entries. Submission of more than one entry will render you ineligible for a DV.

Completing your Electronic Entry for the DV-2023 Program

Submit your Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form (E-DV Entry Form or DS-5501), online at dvprogram.state.gov. We will not accept incomplete entries or entries sent by any other means. There is no cost to submit the online entry form. Please use an updated browser when submitting your application; older browsers (Internet Explorer 8, for example) will likely encounter problems with the online DV system.

We strongly encourage you to complete the entry form yourself, without a “visa consultant,” “visa agent,” or other facilitator who offers to help. If someone helps you, you should be present when your entry is prepared so that you can provide the correct answers to the questions and retain your unique confirmation number and a printout of your confirmation screen. It is extremely important that you retain the printout of your confirmation page and unique confirmation number.

Unscrupulous visa facilitators have been known to assist entrants with their entries, retain the confirmation page printout, and then demand more money in exchange for the confirmation number. Without this information, you will not be able to access the online system that informs you of your entry status. Be wary if someone offers to keep this information for you.

You also should retain access to the email account listed in your E-DV entry. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about DV program scams. You may also wish to view our video for an introduction to the DV program and step-by-step guide to help you submit an entry.

After you submit a complete entry, you will see a confirmation screen containing your name and a unique confirmation number. Print this confirmation screen for your records. Starting May 8, 2022, you will be able to check the status of your entry by returning to dvprogram.state.gov, clicking on Entrant Status Check, and entering your unique confirmation number and personal information. You must use Entrant Status Check to check if you have been selected for DV-2023 and, if selected, to view instructions on how to proceed with your application. The U.S. government will not inform you directly.

Entrant Status Check is the sole source for instructions on how to proceed with your application. If you are selected and submit a visa application and required documents, you must use Entrant Status Check to check your immigrant visa interview appointment date. Please review the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about the selection process.

You must provide all of the following information to complete your entry. Failure to accurately include all the required information will make you ineligible for a DV.

1. Name – last/family name, first name, middle name – exactly as it appears on your 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
2. Gender – male or
3. Birth date – day, month,
4. City where you were
5. Country where you were born – Use the name of the country currently used for the place where you were
6. 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, please review theFrequently Asked Questions to see if there is another way you may be
7. The passport number, country of issuance, and expiration date for yourvalid, unexpired international travel passport. This requirement does not apply to dependents. You must enter valid international travel passport information unless you meet the requirements for an exemption. An exemption may apply if you are stateless, a national of a Communist-controlled country and unable to obtain a passport from the government of the Communist-controlled country, or the beneficiary of an individual waiver approved by the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State. Claiming an exemption for which you are ineligible, or failing to enter valid passport information, will make you ineligible for a DV. For more information on whether or not you meet an exemption, see question 12 in the Frequently Asked Questions document.

8. Entrant photograph(s) – Recent photographs (taken within the last six months) of yourself, your spouse, and all your derivative children. SeeSubmitting a Digital Photograph for compositional and technical specifications. 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 your 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. See Submitting a Digital Photograph (below) for more information.

9. Mailing Address – In CareOf Address Line 1 Address Line 2 City/Town District/Country/Province/State Postal Code/Zip Code Country

9. Country where you live
10. Phone number(optional).
11. 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 program.See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about the selection
12. Highest level of education you have achieved, as of today: (1) Primary schoolonly,

(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. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about educational requirements.

13. 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 ISa

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 derivative applicants. 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.

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 LPR will not require or be issued a visa. Therefore, if you select “married and my spouse IS a U.S. citizen or U.S. LPR” on your entry, you will not be prompted to include further information on your spouse. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about family members.

14. 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

Be sure to include:

• all living naturalchildren;
• 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 thechild’s parent, and even if the child does not currently reside with you and/or will not immigrate with

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.

A child who is already a U.S. citizen or LPR when you submit your DV entry will not require or be issued a Diversity Visa; you will not be penalized for either including or omitting such family members from your entry.

Failure to list all children who are eligible or listing someone who is not your child will make you ineligible for a DV, and your spouse and children will also be ineligible as

Selection of Entries

Based on the allocations of available visas in each region and country, the Department of State will randomly select individuals by computer from among qualified entries. All DV- 2023 entrants must go to the Entrant Status Check using the unique confirmation number saved from their DV-2023 online entry registration to find out whether their entry has been selected in the DV program. Entrant Status Check will be available on the E-DV website at dvprogram.state.gov from May 8, 2022, through at least September 30, 2023.

If your entry is selected, you will be directed to a confirmation page providing further instructions, including information about fees connected with immigration to the United States. Entrant Status Check will be the ONLY means by which the Department of State notifies selectees of their selection for DV-2023. The Department of State will not mail notification letters or notify selectees by email. U.S. embassies and consulates will not provide a list of selectees. Individuals who have not been selected also ONLY will be notified through Entrant Status Check. You are strongly encouraged to access Entrant Status Check yourself. Do not rely on someone else to check and inform you.

In order to immigrate, DV selectees must be admissible to the United States. The DS- 260, Online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application, electronically, and the consular officer, in person, will ask you questions about your eligibility to immigrate under

U.S. law. These questions include criminal and security-related topics.

All selectees, including family members, must be issued visas by September 30, 2023. Under no circumstances can the Department of State issue DVs nor can USCIS approve adjustments after this date, nor can family members obtain DVs to follow-to-join the principal applicant in the United States after this date.

Submitting a Digital Photograph (Image)

You can take a new digital photograph or scan a recent (taken within the last six months) photograph with a digital scanner, as long as 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:

• Incolor
• Infocus
• Sized such that the head is between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches (22 mm and 35mm) or 50 percent and 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
• Taken within the last six months to reflect your currentappearance
• Taken in front of a plain white or off-whitebackground
• Taken in full-face view directly facing thecamera
• With a neutral facial expression and both eyesopen
• Taken in clothing that you normally wear on a dailybasis
• Uniforms should not be worn in your photo, except religious clothing that isworn 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
• Headphones, wireless hands-free devices, or similar items are not acceptable in your
• Do not wear
• If you normally wear a hearing device or similar articles, they may be worn inyour 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) fileformat
• Equal to or less than 240 kB (kilobytes) in filesize
• In a square aspect ratio (height must equalwidth)
• 600×600 pixels indimension

Do you want to scan an existing photo? In addition to the digital image requirements, your existing photo must be:

• 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51mm)
• Scanned at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch (12 pixels permillimeter)

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 1:	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 2:	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.

DV-2023-Instructions-English