Q&A: 2023 Diversity Visa (DV) program opens

It is imperative to know that the US Embassy recommends against using a consultant to assist you with your application.

NL Today

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Kathmandu: The United States State Department has opened registration for the Diversity Visa (DV) program 2023 on Wednesday.

In a notice published on the website of the United States Embassy in Nepal, it said the application period for the DV program begun at 9:45 PM local time Wednesday and will end at 11:45 PM on November 9.

According to the US Embassy, those interested to apply for the DV lottery can fill up the application at the State Department’s Website.

“Applicants who are selected in the program (selectees) must meet simple but strict eligibility requirements to qualify for a DV. The Department of State determines selectees through a randomized computer drawing,” the US Embassy states on its website.

” You must provide all of the following information to complete your entry. Failure to accurately include all the required information will make you ineligible for a DV,” it added.

Here are frequency asked questions about the DV lottery:

What are the requirements for education or work experience?

US immigration law and regulations require that every DV entrant must have at least a high school education or its equivalent or have two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience. A “high school education or equivalent” is defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education in the United States OR the successful completion in another country of a formal course of elementary and secondary education comparable to a high school education in the United States. Only formal courses of study meet this requirement; correspondence programs or equivalency certificates (such as the General Equivalency Diploma [G.E.D.]) are not acceptable. You must present documentary proof of education or work experience to the consular officer at the time of the visa interview. If you do not meet the requirements for education or work experience you will be ineligible for a DV, and your spouse and children will be ineligible for derivative DVs.

Is there a minimum age to apply for the E-DV Program?

There is no minimum age to apply, but the requirement of a high school education or work experience for each principal applicant at the time of application will effectively disqualify most persons who are under age18.

I am in the United States. Can I enter the DV program?

Yes, an entrant may apply while in the United States or another country. An entrant may submit an entry from any location.

Can I only enter once during the registration period?

Yes, the law allows only one entry per person during each registration period. The Department of State uses sophisticated technology to detect multiple entries. Individuals with more than one entry will be ineligible for a DV.

What if my passport expires, or I lose it before I apply for a visa?

If your passport number changes for any reason, you will have to provide evidence of why it has changed to the Department of State’s Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) before they will schedule your DV interview. If you enter a false, inaccurate, or invalid passport number on your DV entry, you will be ineligible for a DV. We suggest you make a legible photocopy of the passport you use for the entry and store it in a secure location with your entry confirmation number. A photocopy alone is not proof you entered a valid passport number on your entry, but it can help you explain the situation. The final determination is made by the Consular Officer at the time of your DV interview.

May my spouse and I each submit a separate entry?

Yes, each spouse may each submit one entry if each meets the eligibility requirements. If either spouse is selected, the other is entitled to apply as a derivative dependent.

Which family members must I include in my DV entry?

Spouse: If you are legally married, you must list your spouse regardless of whether he/she lives with you or intends to immigrate to the United States. You must list your spouse even if you currently are separated from him/her, unless you are legally separated. Legal separation is an arrangement when a couple remains married but lives apart, following a court order. If you and your spouse are legally separated, your spouse will not be able to immigrate with you through the Diversity Visa program. You will not be penalized if you choose to enter the name of a spouse from whom you are legally separated. If you are not legally separated by a court order, you must include your spouse even if you plan to be divorced before you apply for the Diversity Visa or your spouse does not intend to immigrate. Failure to list your eligible spouse or listing someone who is not your spouse will make you ineligible for a DV. If you are not married at the time of entry but plan on getting married in the future, do not list a spouse on your entry form, as this would make you ineligible for a DV. If you are divorced or your spouse is deceased, you do not have to list your former spouse.

The only exception to this requirement is if your spouse is already a U.S. citizen or U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident. If your spouse is a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident, do not list him/her in your entry. A spouse who is already a U.S. citizen or a Lawful Permanent Resident will not require or be issued a DV. Therefore, if you select “married and my spouse IS a U.S. citizen or U.S. LPR” on your entry, you will not be able to include further information on your spouse.

Children: You must list ALL your living children who are unmarried and under 21 years of age at the time of your initial DV entry, whether they are your natural children, your step-children (even if you are now divorced from that child’s parent), your spouse’s children, or children you have formally adopted in accordance with the applicable laws. List all children under 21 years of age at the time of your electronic entry, even if they no longer reside with you or you do not intend for them to immigrate under the DV program. You are not required to list children who are already U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents, though you will not be penalized if you do include them.

Parents and siblings of the entrant are ineligible to receive DV visas as dependents, and you should not include them in your entry.

How will I know if I am not selected? Will I be notified?

The Department of State will NOT notify you directly if your entry is not selected. You must use the Entrant Status Check to learn whether you were selected. You may check the status of your DV-2023 entry through the Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website from May 8, 2022, until September 30, 2023. Keep your confirmation number until at least September 30, 2023. (Status information for the previous year’s DV program, DV-2022, is available online through September 30, 2022.)

What if I lose my confirmation number?

You must have your confirmation number to access Entrant Status Check. A tool is now available in Entrant Status Check on the E-DV website that will allow you to retrieve your confirmation number via the email address with which you registered by entering certain personal information to confirm your identity. U.S. embassies and consulates and the Kentucky Consular Center are unable to check your selection status for you or provide your confirmation number to you directly (other than through the Entrant Status Check retrieval tool). The Department of State is NOT able to provide a list of those selected to continue the visa process.

Source: US State Department

Read more at State Department Website