State Department Cable to Consulates on DV-2003 Visa Lottery

R 180130Z JUL 01
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ALL DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR POSTS
SPECIAL EMBASSY PROGRAM
POUCH BELGRADE
POUCH FREETOWN
POUCH DUSHANBE
POUCH PRISTINA

UNCLAS STATE 124470

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS
SUBJECT: INSTRUCTIONS FOR DV-2003

1. The formal public announcement of the Diversity Visa
2003 lottery will be made in Washington, D.C. on August 1,
2001. The following text of the DV 2003 release is
provided for posts information in order to prepare for any
local public announcements or translations. It is embargoed
for release until August 1, 2001. Translations of the DV
2003 release into Chinese, French, Spanish, Russian, and
for the first time, Arabic, will be prepared at the
Department and should be ready by the last week in July.
The exception is the Arabic version, which will not be
completed until mid-August at the earliest. Translated
versions versions will be distributed to posts by the
Kentucky Consular Center in time for the public
announcement on August 1, 2001. Again, this information is
embargoed for release to the press and the public until
August 1, 2001.

2. Begin text:

Instructions for the 2003 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2003)

DV-2003 will make 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-2003, natives of the following countries 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, 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-2003 Diversity Visa lottery must be
received at one of the Kentucky Consular Center mailing
addressed listed below between noon on Monday, October 1,
2001 and noon on Wednesday, October 31, 2001. Entries
received before or after these dates will be disqualified
regardless of when they are postmarked. Also, entries mailed
to any address other than the Kentucky Consular Center
addresses below will be disqualified.

Requirements for Entry:

1. Applicant must be a native of a qualifying country.
In most cases this means the country in which the
applicant was born. However, if a person was born in an
ineligible country but his/her spouse was born in an
eligible country, such person can claim the spouses
country of birth providing both the applicant and spouse
are issued visas and enter the U.S. simultaneously.
Also, if a person was born in an ineligible country, but
neither of his/her parents was born there or resided
there at the time of the birth, such person may be able
to claim nativity in one of the parents country of
birth.

2. Applicants must meet either the education or
training requirement of the DV program. An applicant
must have either a high school education or its
equivalent, defined in the U.S. 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 Labors O*Net OnLine database will be used
to determine qualifying work experience:
www.onetcenter.org

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

Procedures for Submitting an Entry to DV-2003

All entries by an applicant will be disqualified if more than
one entry for the applicant is received, regardless of whom
submitted the entry.

The entry will be disqualified if the entry is not personally
signed by the applicant with his/her usual and customary
signature in his/her native alphabet, as it would appear on
his/her passport or other official or contractual
obligations. Neither an initialed signature nor block
printing of the applicants name will be accepted and will
result in the disqualification of the entry. If an applicant
chooses to sign his/her name in the Roman alphabet and that
is not their native alphabet, he/she must also sign in
his/her native alphabet.

The entry will be disqualified if all required photos are not
attached. Recent photographs of the applicant and his/her
spouse and each child, including all natural children as well
as all legally-adopted and stepchildren, even if the children
no longer reside with the applicant, must be attached to the
entry. The name and date of birth of each family member must
be printed on the back of their photo. Group or family
photos will not be accepted; there must be a separate photo
for each family member. Photos should be attached with tape
and not stapled to the entry. If there is insufficient room
on the front of the entry, applicants may tape photos to the
back of the page.

If photos do not conform to the following specifications, the
entry will be disqualified:

1. Size: 2 inches (50mm) square, with the applicants,
spouse's, or child's name and date of birth printed on
the back.

2. Applicant, spouse, or child must be directly facing
the camera; the head of the person being photographed
should not be tilted up, down or to the side, and should
cover about 50% of the area of the photo.
3. The photo should be taken with the person being
photographed in front of a neutral, light-colored
background. Photos taken with very dark or patterned,
busy backgrounds will not be accepted.

4. Photos in which the face of the person being
photographed is not in focus will not be accepted.

5. Photos in which the person being photographed is
wearing a hat or glasses with dark lens or in which the
face is obscured in any way will not be accepted.

6. Photos may be either color or black and white.

The Entry

There is no specific format for the entry. Simply use a
plain sheet of paper and type or clearly print in the English
(Roman) alphabet the following information. Failure to
provide all of this information will disqualify the
applicants entry.

1. Full name, with the last (surname/family) name
underlined. Examples: Public, Sara Jane or Lopez,
Juan Antonio.

2. Date and Place of Birth. Date: Day, Month, Year
Example: 15 November 1961
Place: City/Town, District/County/Province, Country
Example: Munich, Bavaria, Germany

(The name of the country should be that which is
currently in use for the place where the applicant
Was born (Slovenia rather than Yugoslavia,
Kazakhstan rather than Soviet Union, for example.)

3. The applicants native country if different from
country of birth. If the applicant is claiming
nativity in a country other than his/her place of
birth, this must be clearly indicated on the entry.
This information must match with what is put on the
upper left corner of the entry envelope. (See
"Mailing the Entry" section.) If an applicant is
claiming nativity through spouse or parent, please
indicate this on the entry. (See "Requirements for
Entry" section for more information on this item.)

4. Name, date and place of birth of the applicants
spouse and all natural children, as well as all
legally-adopted and stepchildren, who are unmarried
and under the age of 21 years, even if you are no
longer legally married to the child's parent, and
even if the 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.")
5. Full Mailing Address. This must be clear and
complete, because any future mailings will be sent
there. A telephone number is optional, but useful.

6. Photograph. Attach recent photographs of the
applicant, the applicants spouse, and all children.
Print the name and date of birth of each family
member on the back of each photograph. Failure to
submit required photos for all family members will
result in disqualification. See above for
information on photo requirements.

7. Signature. The applicant must personally sign the
entry, using his/her usual and customary signature,
as it would appear on his or her passport or other
official or contractual obligations. Failure to
personally sign the entry will disqualify the
application. See "Procedures for Submitting an Entry
to DV-2003" for more information on the signature
requirement.

Mailing the Entry

For DV-2003, the world is divided into six regions, and each
region has a separate address. The DV entry should be
mailed to the address listed below for the applicants region
of nativity:

Africa: Asia:

DV-2003 Program DV-2003 Program
Kentucky Consular Center Kentucky Consular Center
1001 Visa Crest 2002 Visa Crest
Migrate, KY 41901-1000 Migrate, KY 41902-2000
U.S.A. U.S.A.

Europe: South America/Central

America/Caribbean

DV-2003 Program DV-2003 Program
Kentucky Consular Center Kentucky Consular Center
3003 Visa Crest 4004 Visa Crest
Migrate, KY 41903-3000 Migrate, KY 41904-4000
U.S.A. U.S.A.

Oceania: North America:

DV-2003 Program DV-2003 Program
Kentucky Consular Center Kentucky Consular Center
5005 Visa Crest 6006 Visa Crest
Migrate, KY 41905-5000 Migrate, KY 41906-6000
U.S.A. U.S.A.

Submit the entry by regular or airmail to the address
matching the region of the applicants country of nativity.
Entries sent by express or priority mail, second day airmail,
fax, hand, messenger, or any means requiring special handling
will not be processed.

The envelope must be between 6 and 10 inches (15 to 25 cm)
long and 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 inches (9 to 11 cm) wide. Postcards
or envelopes inside express or oversized mail packets are NOT
acceptable. In the upper left-hand corner of the envelope
the applicant must write his/her country of nativity (see
instruction 3 above), followed by the applicants name and
full return address. The applicant must provide both the
country of nativity and the country of the address, even if
both are the same. Failure to provide this information will
disqualify the entry.

The regions are divided as follows:

Africa includes all countries on the African continent and
adjacent islands;
Asia extends from Israel to the northern Pacific islands, and
includes Indonesia;
Europe extends from Greenland to Russia, and includes all
countries of the former USSR;
North America includes the Bahamas;
Oceania includes Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and
all countries and islands of the South Pacific; South
America/Central America/Caribbean extends from Central
America (Guatemala) and the Caribbean nations to Chile.

EXAMPLE: An applicant who was born in Australia and now
lives in France may submit one entry to the appropriate
address for Oceania; the envelope should look like this:

Australia
Applicants Full Name
Street Address
City, Province, Postal Code
France

DV-2003 Program
Kentucky Consular Center
5005 Visa Crest
Migrate, KY 41905-5000
U.S.A.

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 through July 2002 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 of successful applicants under
age 21 may also apply for visas to accompany or follow to
join the principal applicant. DV-2003 visas will be issued
between October 1, 2002 and September 30, 2003.

Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements under U.S.
law in order to be issued visas.
Processing of entries and issuance of diversity visas to
successful applicants and their eligible family members MUST
occur by midnight on September 30, 2003. 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 DV 2003 program. The U.S.
Government employs no outside consultants or private mail
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-2003 entry is entirely at the applicants
discretion.

A qualified entry received directly from an applicant has an
equal chance of being selected by the computer at the
Kentucky Consular Center as does an entry received through a
paid intermediary who completes the entry for the applicant.
There is no advantage to mailing early, or mailing from any
particular place. Every entry received during the mail-in
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 that entry.

Frequently Asked Questions About DV-2003 Registration

1. What does the term "native" mean? Are there any
situations in which persons who were not born in a
qualifying country may apply?

"Native" ordinarily means someone born in a particular
country, regardless of the individual's current country
of residence or nationality.

"Native" also means someone entitled to be "charged" to
a particular country under the provisions of Section
202(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Applicants for DV-2003 registration may claim
chargeability to the country of birth of a spouse
providing both the applicant and spouse are issued visas
and enter the U.S. simultaneously. A minor dependent
child can be charged to the country of birth of a
parent; and an applicant born in a country of which
neither parent was a native or a resident at the time of
his/her birth may be charged to the country of birth of
either parent. An applicant who claims alternate
chargeability must include information to that effect on
the application for registration (see number 3 of "The
Entry" section), and must show the native country
claimed on the upper left hand corner of the envelope in
which the registration request is mailed.

2. Are there any changes or new requirements in the
application procedures for this diversity visa
registration?
The address for submitting DV applications has changed.
Applicants must mail their entries to one of the six
Kentucky Consular Center regional addresses listed in
the "Mailing the Entry" section. Entries mailed to any
other address will be disqualified. The information
required on the entry and on the envelope in which it is
sent is specified in detail earlier in this Visa
Bulletin. Each entry must be personally signed by the
applicant (see "Procedures for Submitting an Entry to
DV-2003"). Photographs of the applicant and all his/her
dependents are now required, and the photos must conform
to the specifications in "Procedures for Submitting an
Entry to DV-2003. Qualifying work experience will no
longer be defined by the Department of Labors
Dictionary of Occupational Titles, but rather by the
more current information contained in the Department of
Labors O*Net OnLine database (see "Requirements for
Entry" section). Please also note changes to the list
of eligible DV countries at the end of this bulletin.

3. Are signatures and photographs required for each
family member, or only for the principal applicant?

Only the principal applicant is required to personally
sign the entry. Recent and individual photos of the
applicant, his/her spouse and all children are required.
Family or group photos are not accepted. Check the
information on the signature and photo requirements
above.

4. Why do certain countries not qualify for the diversity
program?

Diversity visas are intended to provide an immigration
opportunity for persons from countries other than the
countries which send large numbers of immigrants to the
U.S. The law states that no diversity visas shall be
provided for "high admission" countries. These
countries are those from which a total of 50,000 persons
in the Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based visa
categories immigrated to the United States during the
previous five years. Each year, the Immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS) adds the family and
employment immigrant admission figures for the previous
five years in order to identify the countries that must
be excluded from the annual diversity lottery. Because
there is a separate determination made before each
annual DV entry period, the list of countries that do
not qualify may change from one year to the next.

5. What is the numerical limit for DV-2003?

By law, the U.S. diversity immigration program makes
available a maximum of 55,000 permanent residence visas
each year to eligible persons. However, the Nicaraguan
and Central American Relief Act (NCARA) passed by
Congress in November 1997 stipulates that beginning as
early as DV-99, and for as long as necessary, 5,000 of
the 55,000 annually-allocated diversity visas will be
made available for use under the NCARA program. The
actual reduction of the limit to 50,000 began with DV-
2000 and remains in effect for the DV-2003 program.

6. What are the regional Diversity Visa limits for DV-
2003?

The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)
determines the DV regional limits for each year
according to a formula specified in Section 203(c) of
the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Once the INS
has completed the calculations, the DV-2003 regional
visa limits will be announced.

7. When are entries for the DV program accepted each year?

The month-long DV entry period begins each fall at noon
on the first Monday in October and lasts for 30 days.
Each year millions apply for the program during the
mail-in registration period. The massive volume of
entries creates an enormous amount of work in selecting
and processing successful applicants. Holding the entry
period in the fall will ensure successful applicants are
notified in a more timely manner, and give both them and
our embassies and consulates overseas more time to
prepare and complete the entries for visa issuance.

8. May persons who are in the U.S. apply for the program?

Yes, an applicant may be in the U.S. or in another
country, and the entry may be mailed from the
U.S. or from abroad.

9. Is each applicant limited to only one entry during this
DV-2003 registration period?

Yes, the law allows only one entry by or for each person
during each registration period; applicants for whom
more than one entry is submitted will be disqualified.
Applicants may be disqualified at time of selection as a
winner, or at the time of the visa interview or at any
time during the process if more than one entry is
detected. However, applicants may apply for the program
each year during the regular one-month registration
period.

10. May a husband and a wife each submit a separate entry?

Yes, a husband and a wife may each submit one entry. If
either is selected, the other would be entitled to
derivative status. Note: Husbands and wives may not
sign for each other. Each applicant must sign his or
her own entry.

11. What family members must I include on my entry for
DV-2003?

On your entry you must list your spouse, that is husband
or wife, and all unmarried children under 21 years of
age. You must list your spouse even if you are
currently separated from him/her. However, if you are
legally divorced, you do not need to list your former
spouse. For customary marriages, the important date is
the date of the original marriage ceremony, not the date
on which the marriage is registered. You must list all
your children who are unmarried and under the age of 21
years, whether they are your natural children, your
spouses children by a previous marriage, or children
you have formally adopted in accordance with the laws of
your country. List all children even if they no longer
reside with you.

The fact that you have listed family members on your
entry does not mean that they later must travel with
you. They may choose to remain behind. However, if you
include an eligible dependent on your visa application
forms that you failed to include on your original entry,
your case will be disqualified. (This only applies to
persons who were dependents at the time the original
application was submitted, not those acquired at a later
date.) Your spouse may still submit a separate entry,
even though he or she is listed on your entry, as long
as both entries include details on all dependents in
your family. See question 10.

12. Must each applicant submit his/her own entry, or may
someone act on behalf of an applicant?

Applicants may prepare and submit their own entries, or
have someone submit the entry for them. Regardless of
whether an entry is submitted by the applicant directly,
or assistance is provided by an attorney, friend,
relative, etc., only one entry may be submitted in the
name of each person. The applicant's original
signature is required on the entry, regardless whether
it is prepared and submitted by the applicant or by
someone else. If the applicant does not personally sign
the entry with his or her usual and customary signature,
the entry will be disqualified. If the entry is
selected, the notification letter will be sent only to
the mailing address provided on the entry.

13. What are the requirements for education or work
experience?

The law and regulations require that every applicant
must have at least a high school education or
its equivalent or, within the past five years, have two
years of work experience in an occupation
requiring at least two years training or experience. A
"high school education or equivalent" is
defined as successful completion of a twelve-year course
of elementary and secondary education in
the United States or successful completion in another
country of a formal course of elementary and secondary
education comparable to a high school education in the
United States. Documentary proof of education or work
experience should not be submitted with the lottery
entry, but must be presented to the consular officer at
the time of the visa interview.

14. How will winners be selected?

At the Kentucky Consular Center, all mail received at
each of the six geographic regional addresses will be
individually numbered. After the end of the application
period, a computer will randomly select entries from
among all the mail received for each geographic region.
Within each region, the first letter randomly selected
will be the first case registered, the second letter
selected the second registration, etc. It makes no
difference whether an entry is received early or late in
the application period; all entries received during the
mail-in period will have an equal chance of
being selected within each region. When an entry has
been selected, the applicant will be sent a notification
letter by the Kentucky Consular Center, which will
provide visa application instructions. The Kentucky
Consular Center will continue to process the case until
those who are selected are instructed to appear for visa
interviews at a U.S. consular office, or until those
able to do so apply at an INS office in the United
States for change of status.

15. May winning applicants adjust their status with the
INS?

Yes, provided they are otherwise eligible to adjust
status under the terms of Section 245 of the INA,
selected applicants who are physically present in the
United States may apply to the Immigration
and Naturalization Service (INS) for adjustment of
status to permanent resident. Applicants must
Ensure that INS can complete action on their cases,
including processing of any overseas derivatives, before
September 30, 2003, since on that date registrations for
the DV-2003 program expire. No visa numbers for the DV-
2003 program will be available after midnight on
September 30, 2003 under any circumstances.

16. Will applicants who are not elected be informed?

No, applicants who are not selected will receive no
response to their entry. Only those who are selected
will be informed. All notification letters are sent
within about nine months of the end of the application
period to the address indicated on the entry. Anyone
who does NOT receive a letter will know that his/her
application has not been selected.

17. How many applicants will be selected?

There are 50,000 DV visas available for DV-2003, but
more than that number of individuals will be selected.
Because it is likely that some of the first 50,000
persons who are selected will not pursue their cases to
visa issuance, more than 50,000 entries will be selected
by the Kentucky Consular Center to ensure that all of
the available DV-2003 visas are issued. However, this
also means that there will not be a sufficient number of
visas for all those who are initially selected. All
applicants who are selected will be informed promptly of
their place on the list. Interviews with those selected
will begin in early October 2003. The Kentucky Consular
Center will send appointment letters to selected
applicants 30-60 days before the scheduled interviews
with U.S. consular officers at overseas posts. Each
month visas will be issued, visa number availability
permitting, to those applicants who are ready for
issuance during that month. Once all of the 50,000 DV-
2003 visas have been issued, the program for the year
will end. In principle, visa numbers could be finished
before September 2003. Selected applicants who wish to
receive visas must be prepared to act promptly on their
cases. Random selection by the Kentucky Consular Center
computer does not automatically guarantee that you will
receive a visa.

18. Is there a minimum age for applicants to apply for
the DV-2003 program?

There is no minimum age to apply for the program, 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 age 18.

19. Will there be any special fee for DV-2003 case
processing?

There is no fee for submitting an entry, and no fee
should be included with the entry sent to the mailing
addresses indicated above. A special DV case processing
fee will be payable later by persons whose entries are
actually selected and processed at a U.S. consular
section for DV-2003 visas. DV-2003 applicants, like
other immigrant visa applicants, must also pay the
regular visa fees at the time of visa issuance. Details
of required fees will be included with the instructions
sent by the Kentucky Consular Center to applicants who
are selected.

20. Are DV-2003 applicants specially entitled to apply for
a waiver of any of the grounds of visa ineligibility?

No. Applicants are subject to all grounds of
ineligibility for immigrant visas specified in the
Immigration and Nationality Act. There are no special
provisions for the waiver of any ground of visa
ineligibility other than those ordinarily provided in
the Act.

21. May persons who are already registered for an
immigrant visa in another category apply for the DV-2003
program?

Yes, such persons may apply for the DV-2003 program.

22. How long do applicants who are selected remain
entitled to apply for visas in the DV-2002 category?

Persons selected in the DV-2003 lottery are entitled to
apply for visa issuance only during fiscal year 2003,
i.e., from October 2002 through September 2003.
Applicants must obtain the DV visa or adjust status by
the end of the Fiscal Year (September 30, 2003). There
is no carry-over of DV benefits into the next year for
persons who are selected but who do not obtain visas
during FY-2003. Also, spouses and children who derive
status from a DV-2003 registration can only obtain visas
in the DV category between October 2002 and September
2003. Applicants who apply overseas will receive an
appointment letter from the Kentucky Consular Center 30-
60 days before the scheduled appointment.

List of Qualifying Countries By Region

The lists below show the countries qualified within each
geographic region for this diversity program. The
determination of countries within each region is based on
information provided by the Geographer of the Department
of State. The countries that do not qualify for the DV-
2003 program were identified by the Immigration and
Naturalization Service according to the formula in
Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Dependent areas overseas are included within the region
of the governing country. The countries that do NOT
qualify for this diversity program (because they are the
principal source countries of Family-Sponsored and
Employment-Based immigration, or "high admission"
countries) are noted in parentheses after the respective
regional lists.

AFRICA

ALGERIA LIBERIA
ANGOLA LIBYA
BENIN MADAGASCAR
BOTSWANA MALAWI
BURKINA FASO MALI
BURUNDI MAURITANIA
CAMEROON MAURITIUS
CAPE VERDE MOROCCO
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC MOZAMBIQUE
CHAD NAMIBIA
COMOROS NIGER
CONGO NIGERIA
CONGO, DEMOCRATIC RWANDA
REPUBLIC OF THE SAO TOME AND
PRINCIPE
COTE DIVIORE (IVORY COAST) SENEGAL
DJIBOUTI SEYCHELLES
EGYPT SIERRA LEONE
EQUATORIAL GUINEA SOMALIA
ERITREA SOUTH AFRICA
ETHIOPIA SUDAN
GABON SWAZILAND
GAMBIA, THE TANZANIA
GHANA TOGO
GUINEA TUNISIA
GUINEA-BISSAU UGANDA
KENYA ZAMBIA
LESOTHO ZIMBABWE

ASIA

AFGHANISTAN LEBANON
BAHRAIN MACAU SPECIAL
BANGLADESH ADMINISTRATIVE
REGION
BHUTAN MALAYSIA
BRUNEI MALDIVES
BURMA MONGOLIA
CAMBODIA NEPAL
HONG KONG SPECIAL NORTH KOREA
ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OMAN
INDONESIA QATAR
IRAN SAUDI ARABIA
IRAQ SINGAPORE
ISRAEL SRI LANKA
JAPAN SYRIA
JORDAN TAIWAN
KUWAIT THAILAND
LAOS UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES
YEMEN

(Asian countries that do not qualify for DV-2003: China-
mainland-born, India, Pakistan, South Korea, Philippines, and
Vietnam. The Hong Kong S.A.R., Macau S.A.R. and Taiwan do
qualify and are listed above.)

EUROPE

ALBANIA LITHUANIA
ANDORRA LUXEMBOURG
ARMENIA MACEDONIA, THE
FORMER REPUPLIC
OF YUGOSLAVIA
AUSTRIA
AZERBAIJAN MALTA
BELARUS MOLDOVA
BELGIUM MONACO
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
BULGARIA NETHERLANDS
CROATIA INCLUDING
COMPONENTS AND
DEPENDENT
CYPRUS AREAS OVERSEAS
CZECH REPUBLIC NORTHERN IRELAND
DENMARK NORWAY
INCLUDING COMPONENTS AND POLAND
DEPENDENT AREAS OVERSEAS PORTUGAL
ESTONIA ROMANIA
FINLAND RUSSIA
FRANCE SAN MARINO
INCLUDING COMPONENTS AND
DEPENDENT AREAS OVERSEAS SLOVAKIA
GEORGIA SLOVENIA
GERMANY SPAIN
GREECE SWEDEN
HUNGARY SWITZERLAND
ICELAND TAJIKISTAN
IRELAND TURKEY
ITALY TURKMENISTAN
KAZAKHSTAN UKRAINE
KYRGYZSTAN UZBEKISTAN
LATVIA VATICAN CITY
LIECHTENSTEIN YUGOSLAVIA,
FEDERAL
REPUBLIC OF

(European countries not qualified for this year's diversity
program: Great Britain (United Kingdom): includes the following
dependent areas: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands,
Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat,
Pitcairn, St. Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands. Note that for
purposes of the diversity program only, Northern Ireland is
treated separately; Northern Ireland does qualify and is listed
among the qualifying areas.)

NORTH AMERICA

BAHAMAS, THE

(In North America, Canada does not qualify for this years
Diversity Program.)

OCEANIA

AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND
INCLUDING COMPONENTS AND INCLUDING
DEPENDENT AREAS OVERSEAS COMPONENTS AND
DEPENDENT AREAS
OVERSEAS
FIJI PALAU
KIRIBATI PAPUA NEW GUINEA
MARSHALL ISLANDS SOLOMON ISLANDS
MICRONESIA, FEDERATED TONGA
STATES OF TUVALU
NAURU VANUATU
SAMOA

SOUTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA HONDURAS
ARGENTINA NICARAGUA
BARBADOS PANAMA
BELIZE PARAGUAY
BOLIVIA PERU
BRAZIL SAINT KITTS AND
NEVIS
CHILE SAINT LUCIA
COSTA RICA SAINT VINCENT AND
CUBA THE GRENADINES

DOMINICA SURINAME
ECUADOR TRINIDAD AND
TOBAGO
GRENADA URUGUAY
GUATEMALA VENEZUELA
GUYANA

(Countries in this region that do not qualify for this years
Diversity Program: Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador,
Haiti, Jamaica, and Mexico.)

Sample Entry

As stated above there is no specific format for the DV entry.
The following is a sample entry, but other formats may be used.
See above for specific details on what information must be
included in the entry. Failure to provide all of the required
information will disqualify the applicant.

1. Full name: Last name (surname/family), first name
2. Date of Birth: day, month, year
Place of Birth: City/Town
District/County/Province
Country

3. Applicants native country if different from
country of birth. (See Requirements for Entry
section for more information on this item.)
4. Name, date and place of birth of the applicants
spouse and children, if any. Use the back of the
entry page if there is not sufficient space.
5. Full mailing address.
6. Photograph: attach recent photographs of the
applicant, the applicants spouse, and all
children. See Procedures for Submitting an Entry
to DV-2003 section for the new photo
specifications and the new requirement that
individual, separate photos be submitted for the
spouse and all children. Print the name and date
of birth of each family member on the back of the
entry if there is not enough room on the front.
7. Signature: failure to personally sign the entry
will disqualify the applicant.

3. End text.
4. Minimize considered.
POWELL