The 2014 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2014) will
open at noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Tuesday, October 2,
2012, and will close at noon, EDT, Saturday, November 3, 2012.
Applicants must submit entries electronically during this registration
period using the electronic DV entry form (E-DV) at www.dvlottery.state.gov.
Paper entries will not be accepted. We strongly encourage applicants
not to wait until the last week of the registration period to enter.
Heavy demand may result in website delays. No entries will be accepted
after noon, EDT, on November 3, 2012.
The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is
administered on an annual basis by the Department of State and conducted
under the terms of Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality
Act (INA). Section 131 of the Immigration Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-649)
amended INA 203 and provides for a class of immigrants known as
“diversity immigrants.” Section 203(c) of the INA provides a maximum of
55,000 Diversity Visas each fiscal year to be made available to persons
from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
Fifty-five thousand immigrant visas are set aside for DV immigrants;
however, since DV-1999, Congress has reserved 5,000 visas from this
annual allocation to be made available for use under the Nicaraguan and
Central American Relief Act (NACARA).
The annual DV program makes visas available to persons meeting the
simple, but strict, eligibility requirements. A computer-generated,
random drawing chooses selectees for Diversity Visas. The visas are
distributed among six geographic regions, with a greater number of visas
going to regions with lower rates of immigration, and with no visas
going to nationals of countries sending more than 50,000 immigrants to
the United States over the period of the past five years. No single
country may receive more than seven percent of the available Diversity
Visas in any one year.
For DV-2014, natives of Guatemala are now eligible to enter the program.
For DV-2014, natives of the following countries are not eligible to
apply because the countries sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the
United States in the previous five years:
Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico,
Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except
Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.
A “native” ordinarily means someone born within a particular country,
regardless of the individual's current country of residence or
nationality. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are
eligible.
The Department of State implemented the electronic registration
system beginning with DV-2005 in order to make the Diversity Visa
process more efficient and secure. We utilize special technology and
other means to identify those who commit fraud for the purposes of
illegal immigration or those who submit multiple entries.
For DV-2014, the Department of State will once again implement an
online process to notify entrants of their selection, and to provide
information about the immigrant visa application and interview.
Beginning May 1, 2013, DV-2014 entrants will be able to use their unique
confirmation number provided at registration to check online through
Entry Status Check at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov
to see if their entry was selected. Successful entrants will receive
instructions for how to apply for immigrant visas for themselves and
their eligible family members. Confirmation of visa interview
appointments will also be made through Entry Status Check.
For detailed information about entry requirements, along with
frequently asked questions about the DV program, please see the
instructions for the DV-2014 Diversity Visa program available at http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html.
Diversity Visa Program: DV-2014 Entry Instructions
DV 2014 Program-Online Registration
Online registration for the DV-2014 Program
will begin on Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight
Time (EDT)
(GMT-4), and conclude on Saturday, November
3, 2012 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4). After the
entry period
opens October 2, we recommend early entry,
and we strongly encourage applicants not to wait until the last week of
the registration
period to enter. Review the DV Instructions
below, as well as the Press Release.
DV-2014 Program Instructions
The English version of the DV-2014 Program Instructions is available in PDF format for your convenience and required use. The English language version of the DV-2014 Program Instructions is the only official version. Unofficial translations in additional languages are available below. Check back later for additional translations.
Translations (All translations are in .pdf format)
| Albanian | Armenian | Japanese | Latvian | Romanian |
| Ukrainian | Uzbek |
Note: If you do not see instructions in your native language, please see the U.S. Embassy website to find out whether your country may have additional Diversity Visa information.
Diversity Visa Program Information
See the Diversity Visa Program webpage for information about:
- Important fraud warning
- DV qualifying occupations
- Diversity Visa program DV-2013 entrants may check the status of their DV-2013 entry at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov
