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DV Immigration Lottery

   

 

Diversity Visa Lottery

Almost anyone who has completed high school is eligible to enter in this annual program. In some cases, persons without high school diploma’s can qualify. Once selected in the "drawing," winners must act quickly to be among the first to qualify for their visas. Every year the U.S. Department of State issues a list of countries whose nationals 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. For certain nationalities, the DV immigrant visa program is a viable green card option. Annually about 50,000 persons immigrate via this program, whereas only 40,000 are eligible to immigrate as “extraordinary” or as “outstanding researcher/professors”. For persons chargeable to the European or African quotas, the chances are much better than those chargeable to the Asian or South American quotas.

This year natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply for the DV-2013 Program: BANGLADESH, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLUMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PAKISTAN, PERU, PHILIPPINES, SOUTH KOREA, UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and VIETNAM. Persons born in South Sudan, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible.

If you had participated in last year’s DV-2012 Lottery Program, click here to see if you have been selected.

If selected, please contact us immediately so we can commence assist with the processing of your immigrant visa case. Only about half of the winners notified actually receive green cards, and it is helpful to have knowledgeable attorneys advise on whether to adjust status or immigrant visa process and to review eligibility, inadmissibility and cross-chargeability issues.

If you have not been selected, you may reapply for the DV-2013 Lottery Program which will take place from October 4, 2011 until November 5, 2011. You do not have to have an attorney to apply for the DV program as you can submit your application directly with the State Department via their website http://www.dvlottery.state.gov.

If you apply without professional assistance, please read the instructions carefully as the program is technical and the slightest error will result in automatic disqualification. Merely misspelling a name, or leaving out a child, can disqualify you. In the past the government reported approximately 40% of applications were disqualified for failing to correctly follow instructions.

For an in-depth analysis of some of the complex issues in the DV lottery program, read our article at "The Diversity Lottery - A Deceptively Simple Program (An Update)" by Bernard P. Wolfsdorf and Naveen Rahman Bhora.

A knowledgeable attorney demystifies complex issues in the DV lottery program. Click here to read why an attorney can help.

     
 

With offices in Los Angeles (LA), California and New York (NY), New York, Wolfsdorf Immigration Law Group provides global immigration services to our clients around the world. We also provide in-person consultations throughout Southern California in communities such as Pasadena, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Van Nuys, Glendale, Encino, Northridge, Panorama City, Burbank, Reseda, Tarzana, Winnetka, Canoga Park, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Woodland Hills, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, North Hollywood, North Hills, Valley Village, Universal City, Westwood, Pomona, Pacoima, Oak Park, Mission Hills, Arcadia, Alhambra, Malibu, Granada Hills, Gardena, Glendora, Culver City, Claremont, Diamond Bar, Arleta, Artesia, Baldwin Hills, Camarillo, Century City, Cerritos, Irvine, La Crescenta, Long Beach, San Diego, Santa Barbara. Our Manhattan office is convenient to all boroughs including Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx, and Long Island, as well as Westchester, White Plains, Nassau, Suffolk, and throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.