ENTRY INFO REQUIRED

INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR THE ELECTRONIC ENTRY

There is only one way to enter the DV-2012 lottery. You must submit the DS 5501, the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form (E-DV Entry Form), which is accessible only online at the EDV website www.dvlottery.state.gov. Failure to complete the form in its entirety will disqualify the entry. Those who submit the E-DV entry will be asked to include the following information on the E-DV Entry Form.

NOTE: The Department of State strongly encourages applicants to complete the entry form without the assistance of “Visa Consultants,” “Visa Agents,” or other individuals who offer to submit an entry on behalf of applicants. If you use the services of somebody else to complete your entry form, you should be present when the entry is prepared, and you should retain the confirmation page and your unique confirmation number. Facilitators may try to withhold confirmation numbers in order to make an unlawful demand for money in exchange for notification information that should have been directly available to you. Your confirmation number ensures that you can go to the E-DV website and receive notification of whether your entry has been selected through the Entry Status Check available from May 1, 2011 on the E-DV website http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/.

Entry Status Check will be the sole means of informing you of your selection for DV-2012, providing instructions to you on how to proceed with your application, and notifying you of the date and time of your appointment for your immigrant visa interview,

1. FULL NAME – Last/Family Name, First Name, Middle name
2. DATE OF BIRTH – Day, Month, Year
3. GENDER – Male or Female
4. CITY WHERE YOU WERE BORN
5. COUNTRY WHERE YOU WERE BORN – The name of the country should be that which is currently in use for the place where you were born.
6. COUNTRY OF ELIGIBILITY OR CHARGEABILITY FOR THE DV PROGRAM – Your country of eligibility will normally be the same as your country of birth. Your country of eligibility is not related to where you live. If you were born in a country that is not eligible for the DV program, please review the instructions to see if there is another option for country chargeability available for you. For additional information on chargeability, please review "Frequently Asked Question #1" of these instructions.5
7. ENTRY PHOTOGRAPH(S) – See the technical information on photograph specifications. Make sure you include photographs of your spouse and all your children, if applicable. See Frequently Asked Question #3.
8. MAILING ADDRESS – In Care Of, Address Line 1, Address Line 2, City/Town, District/Country/Province/State, Postal Code/Zip Code, and Country
9. COUNTRY WHERE YOU LIVE TODAY
10. PHONE NUMBER (optional)
11. E-MAIL ADDRESS – provide an e-mail address to which you have direct access. You will NOT receive an official selection letter at this address. However, if your entry is selected and you respond to the notification of your selection through the Entry Status Check, you will receive follow-up communication from the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) by e-mail notifying you that details of your immigrant visa interview are available on Entry Status Check.
12. WHAT IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATION YOU HAVE ACHIEVED, AS OF TODAY? You must indicate which one of the following represents your own highest level of educational achievement: (1) Primary school only, (2) High school, no degree, (3) High school degree, (4) Vocational school, (5) Some university courses, (6) University degree, (7) Some graduate level courses, (8) Master degree, (9) Some doctorate level courses, and (10) Doctorate degree
13. MARITAL STATUS – Unmarried, Married, Divorced, Widowed, or Legally Separated
14. NUMBER OF CHILDREN – Entries MUST include the name, date, and place of birth of your spouse and all natural children. Entries must also include all children legally adopted by you, and stepchildren who are unmarried and under the age of 21 on the date of your electronic entry , even if you are no longer legally married to the child’s parent, and even if the spouse or child does not currently reside with you and/or will not immigrate with you. Note that married children and children 21 years or older are not eligible for the DV; however, U.S. law protects children from "aging out" in certain circumstances. If your electronic DV entry is made before your unmarried child turns 21, and the child turns 21 before visa issuance, he/she may be protected from aging out by the Child Status Protection Act and be treated as though he/she were under 21 for visa-processing purposes. Failure to list all children who are eligible will result in disqualification of the principal applicant and refusal of all visas in the case at the time of the visa interview. See Frequently Asked Question #11.
15. SPOUSE INFORMATION – Name, Date of Birth, Gender, City/Town of Birth, Country of Birth, and Photograph. Failure to list your eligible spouse will result in disqualification of the principal applicant and refusal of all visas in the case at the time of the visa interview. You must list your spouse here even if you plan to be divorced before you apply for a visa.
16. CHILDREN INFORMATION – Name, Date of Birth, Gender, City/Town of Birth, Country of Birth, and Photograph: Include all children declared in question #14 above.

SELECTION OF APPLICANTS

The computer will randomly select individuals from among all qualified entries. All Diversity Visa (DV- 2012) entrants will be required to go to the E-DV website Entry Status Check to find out whether their entry has been selected in the DV lottery or to find out they have not been selected. Selectees will be notified of their selection through the Entry Status Check available starting May 1, 2011 at the E-DV website www.dvlottery.state.gov. Selectees will be directed to a confirmation page that will provide further instructions, including information on fees connected with immigration to the United States. Entry Status Check will be the ONLY means by which selectees will be notified of their selection for DV-2012. The Kentucky Consular Center will not be mailing out notification letters. Those selected in the random drawing are NOT notified of their selection by e-mail. Those individuals NOT selected will be notified of their non-selection through the web-based Entry Status Check. U.S. embassies and consulates will not provide a list of selectees. Selectees’ spouses and unmarried children under age 21 may also apply for visas to accompany or follow-to-join the principal applicant. DV-2012 visas will be issued between October 1, 2011, and September 30, 2012.

Processing of entries and issuance of DVs to selectees meeting eligibility requirements and their eligible family members MUST occur by midnight on September 30, 2012. Under no circumstances can DVs be issued or adjustments approved after this date, nor can family members obtain DVs to follow-to-join the principal applicant in the United States after this date.

In order to receive a DV to immigrate to the United States, those chosen in the random drawing must meet ALL eligibility requirements under U.S. law. These requirements may significantly increase the level of scrutiny required and time necessary for processing for natives of some countries listed in this notice including, but not limited to, countries identified as state sponsors of terrorism.

Important Notice
Electronic lottery entry in the annual DV program is free (there is no fee). 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 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.

A qualified electronic entry submitted directly by an applicant has an equal chance of being randomly selected by the computer at the KCC, as does a qualified electronic entry received from an outside intermediary on behalf of the applicant. However, receipt of more than one entry per person will disqualify the person from registration, regardless of the source of the entry.