U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Visa Services

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INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE 2006 DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM (DV-2006)

* REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRY
* PROCEDURES FOR SUBMITTING AN ENTRY TO DV-2005
* THE ENTRY
* SELECTION OF APPLICANTS

The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered on an annual basis by the Department of Stateand conducted under the terms of Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Section 131 of the Immigration Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-649) amended INA 203 to provide for a new class of immigrants known as "diversity immigrants" (DVimmigrants). The Act makes available 50,000 permanent resident visas annually to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

The annual DV program makes permanent residence visas available to persons meeting the simple, but strict, eligibility requirements. Applicants for Diversity Visas are chosen by a computer-generated random lottery drawing. The visas, however, are distributed among six geographic regions with a greater number of visas going to regions with lower rates of immigration, and with no visas going to citizens of countries sending more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the past five years. Within each region, no one country may receive more than seven percent of the available Diversity Visas in any one year.

For DV-2006, natives of the following countries1 are not eligible to apply because they sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the previous five years:

CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, EL SALVADOR, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PAKISTAN, PHILIPPINES, RUSSIA, SOUTH KOREA, UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and VIETNAM. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.

ENTRIES FOR THE DV-2006 DIVERSITY VISA LOTTERY MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY BETWEEN FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2004 AND FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 2005. APPLICANTS MAY ACCESS THE ELECTRONIC DIVERSITY VISA ENTRY FORM AT ‘WWW.DVLOTTERY.STATE.GOV’ DURING THE REGISTRATION PERIOD BEGINNING NOON NOVEMBER 5. PAPER ENTRIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. APPLICANTS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST WEEK OF THE REGISTRATION PERIOD TO ENTER. HEAVY DEMAND MAY RESULT IN DELAYS. NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER NOON ON JANUARY 7, 2005.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRY

• Applicant must be a native of one of the countries listed beginning on page 13. See “List Of Countries By Region Whose Natives Qualify.”

Native of a country whose natives qualify: In most cases this means the country in which the applicant was born. However, there are two other ways a person may be able to qualify. First, if a person was born in a country whose natives are ineligible but his/her spouse was born in a country whose natives are eligible, such person can claim the spouse’s country of birth provided both the applicant and spouse are issued visas and enter the U.S. simultaneously. Second, if a person was born in a country whose natives are ineligible, but neither of his/her parents was born there or resided there at the time of his/her birth, such person may claim nativity in one of the parents’ country of birth if it is a country whose natives qualify for the DV-2006 program.

• Applicant must meet either the education or training requirement of the DV program.

Education or Training: An applicant must have EITHER a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education; OR two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience to perform. The U.S. Department of Labor’s O*Net OnLine database will be used to determine qualifying work experience.

If the applicant cannot meet these requirements, he or she should NOT submit an entry to the DV program.

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1 The term "country" in this notice includes countries, economies and other jurisdictions explicitly listed beginning on page 13.

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PROCEDURES FOR SUBMITTING AN ENTRY TO DV-2006 RUCTIONS FOR THE 2006 DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM (DV-2006)

• The Department of State will only accept completed Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Forms submitted electronically at www.dvlottery.state.gov during the registration period beginning at 12:00 pm EST (GMT- 5) on November 5, 2004 and ending at 12:00 pm EST (GMT-5) on January 7, 2005.

• All entries by an applicant will be disqualified if more than ONE entry for the applicant is received, regardless of who submitted the entry. Applicants may prepare and submit their own entries, or have someone submit the entry for them.

• Successfully registered entries will result in the display of a confirmation screen containing the applicant’s name, date of birth, country of chargeability, and a date/time stamp. The applicant may print this confirmation screen for his/her records using the print function of their web browser.

• Paper entries will not be accepted.

• The entry will be disqualified if all required photos are not submitted. Recent photographs of the applicant and his/her spouse and each child under 21 years of age, including all natural children as well as all legally-adopted and stepchildren (except a child who is already a U.S. citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident), even if a child no longer resides with the applicant or is not intended to immigrate under the DV program, must be submitted electronically with the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form. Group or family photos will not be accepted; there must be a separate photo for each family member.

A digital photo (image) of each applicant, his/her spouse, and children must be submitted on-line with the EDV Entry Form. The image file can be produced either by taking a new digital photograph or by scanning a photographic print with a digital scanner.

Instructions for Submitting a Digital Photo (Image)

The image file must adhere to the following compositional specifications and technical specifications and can be produced in one of the following ways:

* Taking a new digital image.
* Using a digital scanner to scan a submitted photograph.

Compositional Specifications: The submitted digital image must conform to the following compositional specifications or the entry will be disqualified.

Head Position
* Person being photographed must directly face the camera.
* Head of the person should not be tilted up, down, or to the side.
* Head of the person should cover about 50% of the area of the photo.

Background
* Person being photographed should be in front of a neutral, light-colored background.
* Dark or patterned backgrounds are not acceptable.

Focus
* Photo must be in focus.

Decorative Items
* Photos in which the person being photographed is wearing sunglasses or other items that detract from the face will not be accepted.

Head Coverings and Hats
* Photos of applicants wearing head coverings or hats are only acceptable due to religious beliefs, and even then, may not obscure any portion of the face of the applicant.
* Photos of applicants with tribal or other headgear not specifically religious in nature will not be accepted.
* Photos of military, airline, or other personnel wearing hats will not be accepted.

Technical Specifications: The submitted digital photograph must conform to the following specifications or the system will automatically reject the EDV Entry Form and notify the sender.

Taking a New Digital Image. If a new digital image is taken, it must meet the following specifications:
* Image File Format: The image must be in the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
format.

* Image File Size: The maximum image file size will be sixty-two thousand five hundred
(62,500) bytes.

* Image Resolution: 320 pixels high by 240 pixels wide.

* Image Color Depth: 24-bit color or 8-bit color or 8-bit grayscale. [Note: Monochrome
images (2-bit color depth) will not be accepted.]

Scanning a Submitted Photograph. Before a photographic print is scanned, it must meet the following specifications:

* Print Size: 2 inches by 2 inches (50mm x 50mm) square.

* Print Color: The image must be either in color or grayscale.

The photographic print must also meet the Compositional Specifications. If the hotographic print meets the Print Size, Print Color, and Compositional Specifications, scan the print using the following scanner specifications.

* Scanner Resolution: Scanned at a resolution of 150 dots per inch (dpi).

* Image File Format: The image must be in the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
format.

* Image File Size: The maximum image file size will be sixty-two thousand five hundred
(62,500) bytes.

* Image Resolution: 300 by 300 pixels.

* Image Color Depth: 24-bit color or 8-bit color or 8-bit grayscale. [Note: Monochrome
images (2-bit color depth) will not be accepted.]

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THE ENTRY

There is only one way to enter the DV-2006 lottery. Applicants must submit an Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form (EDV Entry Form), which is accessible only at www.dvlottery.state.gov. Failure to complete the form in its entirety will disqualify the applicant’s entry. Applicants will be asked to submit the following information on the EDV Entry Form.

1. FULL NAME - Last/Family Name, First Name, Middle name

2. DATE OF BIRTH - Day, Month, Year

3. GENDER - Male or Female

4. CITY/TOWN OF BIRTH

5. COUNTRY OF BIRTH - The name of the country should be that which is currently in use for the place where the applicant was born.

6. APPLICANT PHOTOGRAPH - See page 2 for information on photo specifications.

7. MAILING ADDRESS - Address, City/Town, District/Country/Province/State, Postal Code/Zip Code, Country

8. PHONE NUMBER (optional)

9. E-MAIL ADDRESS (optional)

10. COUNTRY OF ELIGIBILITY IF THE APPLICANT’S NATIVE COUNTRY IS DIFFERENT FROM COUNTRY OF BIRTH - If the applicant is claiming nativity in a country other than his/her place of birth, this information must be indicated on the entry.

11. MARITAL STATUS - Unmarried, Married, Divorced, Widowed, Legally Separated

12. NUMBER OF CHILDREN THAT ARE UNMARRIED AND UNDER 21 YEARS OF AGE – Except children that are either U.S. legal permanent residents or American citizens.

13. SPOUSE INFORMATION - Name, Date of Birth, Gender, City/Town of Birth, Country of Birth, Photograph

14. CHILDREN INFORMATION - Name, Date of Birth, Gender, City/Town of Birth, Country of Birth, Photograph

NOTE: Entries must include the name, date and place of birth of the applicant’s spouse and all natural children, as well as all legally-adopted and stepchildren, who are unmarried and under the age of 21 (except children who are already U.S. citizens or Legal Permanent Residents), 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 will not qualify for the diversity visa. Failure to list all children will result in your disqualification for the visa. (See question 11 on the list of Frequently Asked Questions.)

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SELECTION OF APPLICANTS

Applicants will be selected at random by computer from among all qualified entries. Those selected will be notified by mail between May and July 2005 and will be provided further instructions, including information on fees connected with immigration to the U.S. Persons not selected will NOT receive any notification. U.S. embassies and consulates will not be able to provide a list of successful applicants. Spouses and unmarried children under age 21 of successful applicants may also apply for visas to accompany or follow to join the principal applicant. DV-2006 visas will be issued between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2006.

In order to actually receive a visa, applicants selected in the random drawing must meet ALL eligibility requirements under U.S. law. Processing of entries and issuance of diversity visas to successful applicants and their eligible family members MUST occur by midnight on September 30, 2006. Under no circumstances can diversity visas be issued or adjustments approved after this date, nor can family members obtain diversity visas to follow to join the applicant in the U.S. after this date.

Important Notice

No fee is charged to enter the annual DV program. 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 casework for applicants 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 applicant's discretion.

A qualified entry submitted electronically directly by an applicant has an equal chance of being selected by the computer at the Kentucky Consular Center as does an entry submitted electronically through a paid intermediary who completes the entry for the applicant. Every entry received during the lottery registration period will have an equal random chance of being selected within its region. However, receipt of more than one entry per person will disqualify the person from registration, regardless of the source of the entry.

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