PRESS RELEASE
2010 DIVERSITY VISA LOTTERY REGISTRATION SEASON OPEN
Registration for the 2010 Diversity Visa Lottery began October 3 and will continue until December 1, 2008. Designed to bring greater racial and ethnic diversity to the United States, this program offers immigrant visas to citizens of nations that have a traditionally low level of immigration to the United States. The U.S. Department of State plans to issue 50,000 diversity visas this year.
Persons seeking to enter the lottery program must register online through the designated website (www.dvlottery.state.gov) during the registration period. Registration is free of charge. Applicants should submit only one entry and must include the names of their spouse and all unmarried children under the age of 21.
A computer will select individuals at random, and the Kentucky Consular Center will send letters only to those applicants who are selected. A new feature of the DV-2010 registration feature is that all entrants will be able to check their status on-line. Successfully registered entrants are strongly encouraged to print out and retain their confirmation page, which will allow them to check their entry status through the internet. Selected individuals will be given the opportunity to apply for Diversity Visas, but they must prove their eligibility before being issued a visa.
27 Mauritanian applicants were selected in the DV-2008 program and 39 registrants were selected in the DV-2009 program. Applicants registered for the DV-2009 program were selected from over 9.1 million qualified entries received world-wide. Additional information regarding results from prior years of the Diversity Visa Lottery may be found at : http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types.
There have been instances of fraudulent websites posing as official U.S. Government sites. Some companies claiming to represent the U.S. Government have sought money in order to "complete" lottery entry forms. There is no charge to download and complete the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form. The Department of State notifies successful Diversity Visa applicants by letter, not by e-mail. Selected individuals will be asked to pay an immigrant visa application fee only at the U.S. Embassy. Applicants should never send money for Diversity Visa fees through the mail or any delivery service.
Before registering for the Diversity Visa Lottery, applicants are strongly encouraged to read the instructions posted at www.dvlottery.state.gov carefully to ensure that they are eligible for a Diversity Visa. Applicants must have either a high school education, its equivalent, or two years of work experience, within the past five years, in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience.
A high school education is defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education, which in Senegal means having successfully passed the baccalaureate or obtained an equivalent type of diploma.
Potential applicants who did not complete the second part of the baccalaureate and who apply on the basis of their professional experience should consult the U.S. Department of Labor’s online database at http://online.onetcenter.org to see if their profession qualifies.
Applicants who seek to qualify on the basis of their work experience must, within the past five years, have two years of experience in an occupation that is classified in a SVP (Special Vocational Preparation) range of 7.0 or higher. Many applicants who apply based on their work experience do not, in fact, meet the minimum requirements of the Diversity Visa program, and their visa applications are refused.
Additional information on the Diversity Visa Immigrant Program is available on the State Department Web site: www.dvlottery.state.gov or by purchasing a calling card and contacting the U.S. Visa Information Service in Senegal at 33-869-6300. Please do not call the U.S. Embassy directly.