JERUSALEM, October 7, 2010 (WAFA)- The U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem announced, today, that applications for the 2012 Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery will be accepted online beginning the evening of October 5, 2010 and continuing through November 3, 2010.
“This annual program makes immigration visas available through a computer-generated random lottery drawing to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements. DV-2012 visas will be issued between October 1, 2011 and September 30, 2012,” the U.S Consulate said.
A press release added that, “The U.S. Government employs no outside consultants or private services to operate the DV program. Any intermediaries or others who offer assistance to prepare DV entries or send notices advising an individual that s/he has been selected as a DV recipient do so without the authority or consent of the U.S. Government. Use of any outside intermediary or assistance to prepare a DV entry is entirely at the entrant's discretion. Please consult our fraud warning for further information about internet scams at http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1749.html.”
The U.S. Department of State will only accept completed Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) Entry Forms submitted electronically at www.dvlottery.state.gov during the registration period. Paper entries will not be accepted, and no entries will be accepted after the close of the registration period. Submission of more than one entry for the same person will disqualify the applicant. No fee is charged for entry in the annual DV program. Successfully registered entries will result in the display of a confirmation screen containing the applicant’s name and confirmation number. It is recommended that the applicant print out the confirmation information and save the print out, the press release added.
The U.S. Department of State will use web-based tools and e-mail to notify entrants of their selection and immigrant visa interview appointment. The Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) will no longer send selectee notification or appointment letters to successful entrants by postal service. Starting May 1, 2011, entrants may enter their DV-2012 entry confirmation number into a web-based tool called the Entry Status Check available at www.dvlottery.state.gov to find out whether their entry was selected or not. Note: Only those entrants who keep their confirmation page information will also be able to check their entry status through Entry Status Check.
The law requires that every DV entrant must have at least a high school education or its equivalent, or have, within the past five years, two years of work experience in an occupation requiring at least two years’ training or experience. To learn more about qualifying occupations, see the Diversity Visa Instructions Frequently Asked Questions and the List of Occupations webpage on travel.state.gov. Spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21 of successful entrants may apply for visas to accompany or follow to join the principal applicant.
