U.S. Immigration and Permanent Residency: Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery Program Moves to All-Electronic Processing
October 9, 2008
For the first time ever, e-DV entrants can check the status of their application online
Applications are now being accepted for the 2010 U.S. Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, and this year for the first time the e-DV lottery will be conducted entirely electronically, from entry to status checking.
The DV-2010 lottery registration period began on Thursday noon, EDT on October 2, 2008 and will run through Monday noon, EST December 1, 2008. All applications must be received during this period. The U.S. Department of State has established a dedicated website for the submission of e-DV entries, www.dvlottery.state.gov.
This year entrants will be able to check the status of their entry online. After successfully registering, entrants will see a confirmation screen containing the applicant's name and confirmation number which can then be printed. The confirmation page will also provide information the entrant may use to electronically check the status of their own entry. All successful entrants will be notified by mail of their successful entries, but only those entrants who keep their confirmation page information will also be able to check their entry status through the Internet. Moreover, the e-DV website offers a "photo validator" program that entrants can use to test their photographs for suitability before submitting it with their entries. As in the past, no fee is charged to enter the e-DV program.
About the e-DV Program:
The Congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program makes available 50,000 permanent resident visas annually, drawn from random selection among all entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
For DV-2010, natives of Japan are eligible to apply for the e-DV lottery. However, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply because the countries sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the previous five years:
| Brazil Canada China (mainland-born) Colombia Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Guatemala Haiti India |
Jamaica Mexico Pakistan Philippines Peru Poland South Korea United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories Vietnam |