In the first week of the DV-2011 Program, Department of State (DOS) has received
over 900,000 entries, submitted by people around the world submitted, which
marks 63 percent increase over the same period last year. DOS expects to receive
more than 13,000,000 entries for the DV-2011 Program.
The U.S. Department of State launched DV-2011 on October 2 and will conclude
the registration period on November 30. This Congressionally-mandated program
makes available 55,000 immigrant visas annually, drawn randomly from all entries
and issued to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries
with low rates of immigration to the United States.
Successful DV-2011 entrants will receive notification of their selection
via mail between May and July, 2010, and will be permitted to commence the Immigrant
Visa application process in October 2010. The deadline for visa issuance is
September 30, 2011.
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is open to persons meeting simple, but
strict, eligibility requirements. Nationals of countries sending more than 50,000
immigrants to the United States over the period of the past five years are not
eligible.
For DV-2011, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply because
the 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, Philippines,
Poland, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent
territories, and Vietnam.
NOTE: Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan
are eligible.
There is no fee to enter DV-2011. Successful entrants, however,
will be required to pay all applicable application fees and costs, including
those for medical examinations, for themselves and qualifying immediate relatives.
Entries must be submitted online. Paper entries are not acceptable. All successful
entrants will be notified by mail, but entrants who retain their online confirmation
page will be able to check their entry status through the internet.
