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The 2011 Diversity Visa Lottery Two-Month Registration Period Started on October 2, 2009
The Department of State announces the opening of the registration period for the DV-2011 Diversity Visa Lottery. Registrations for the DV-2011 Diversity Visa Lottery must be submitted electronically between Friday, October 2, 2009 and Monday, November 30, 2009.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit entries early in order to avoid potential system delays due to heavy demand as the deadline nears.
A computer-generated, random lottery drawing chooses selectees for Diversity Visas. Individuals who are selected are eligible to apply for one of 55,000 Diversity Visas this year. Diversity visas are made available to nationals of countries with low immigration rates to the United States.
The visas will be distributed among six geographic regions, with a greater number of visas going to regions with lower rates of immigration. Natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply because those countries sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the previous five years: Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.
Registration for the Diversity Visa Lottery is free of charge. Individuals seeking to enter the lottery must register online through the sole, official web site -- www.dvlottery.state.gov -- and digital photos must be submitted for each applicant and family member along with the registration form. Only one entry per individual will be accepted. Individuals who submit multiple entries will be automatically disqualified. Paper entries will not be accepted. This year, entrants must also include an e-mail address as part of their entry.
Applicants should be aware that there is only one official site for the diversity visa lottery registration, www.dvlottery.state.gov. On this website, applicants will find detailed instructions as well as the application form at no cost.
The Department of State Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky, will notify the lottery winners by mail (NOT e-mail) between May 2010 and July 2010 but it may use e-mail for follow-up communication with selectees. The winners will be provided instructions on how to apply for DV-2011 visas, which must be issued between October 1, 2010, and September 30, 2011.
Lottery and visa applicants must meet certain education or work experience requirements as outlined in the DV-2011 instructions. Applicants who do not meet these requirements will not be considered for a Diversity Visa.
In 2008, more than 9.5 million individuals submitted entries for the Diversity Visa lottery.