Immigration Services
U.S. Department of State Announces Opening of Diversity Immigrant Visa Program for FY2010 (DV2010)
October 2, 2008
What is the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program?
On an annual basis, U.S. Department of State makes 55,000 immigrant visas for permanent residence available to persons meeting simple, but strict, eligibility requirements through its “Diversity Immigrant Visa Program.” A computer-generated random lottery drawing chooses applicants for diversity visas (DV) for permanent residence. Diversity visas are distributed among six geographic regions with a greater number of visas going to regions with lower rates of immigration. No visas are distributed to nationals of countries sending more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. over the past five years. U.S. Department of State has posted a list of countries from which nationals of those countries may file applications for diversity visas. The list can be found on its website at http://www.travel.state.gov/pdf/T1026V-DV-2010bulletin(3).pdf
When do I need to file my DV2010 application?
U.S. Department of State will be accepting applications for the FY2010 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV2010) between noon Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4) on October 2, 2008 and noon Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5) on December 1, 2008. Any applications filed outside of this time-frame will be rejected. If an applicant files multiple petitions, U.S. Department of State will void all petitions filed by the applicant.
Where can I find an application?
Applicants may access the electronic diversity visa entry form at www.dvlottery.state.gov during the registration period. Paper applications will not be accepted.
What happens once I am selected through the random selection process?
After Department of State randomly selects 55,000 individuals, those selected are entitled to apply for permanent residence. Applicants must file their applications for permanent residence only during FY2010: from October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010. In addition, the U.S. government agency reviewing the application must process the application and grant permanent residence by September 30, 2010. If the U.S. government agency does not approve the application before September 30, 2010, the permanent residence application is voided. There is no carry-over of DV benefits into the next year for persons who are selected but who do not obtain a diversity visa during FY 2010. In addition, spouses and children who derive status from a DV2010 registration can only obtain visas in the DV category between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010.
More Information
Please visit U.S. Department of State’s website for more detailed information on the eligibility requirements and process of the Diversity Visa Lottery program at http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html
Should you have any questions or require assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.