Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2004) Registration Instructions Issued by the Department of State

On August 21, 2002, the U.S. Department of State issued a notice of registration for the 2004 Diversity Visa Program. Entries for DV-2004 must be received by the Kentucky Consular Center (at the address noted below) between NOON on Monday, OCTOBER 7, 2002 and NOON on Wednesday, NOVEMBER 6, 2002. Entries received before or after this period will be disqualified, regardless of when they are postmarked.

The Diversity Visa Program makes 55,000 immigrant visas available each year; however, 5,000 of these visas are allocated to those eligible for immigrant status under the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NACARA). This reduction began in DV-1999 and remains in effect for DV-2004.

Natives of the following countries are not eligible for DV-2004: 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, Vietnam (Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.)

Eligibility Requirements:

An applicant must:

• Be able to claim nativity in an eligible country. Nativity in most cases is determined by the applicant’s place of birth, 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 spouse’s country of birth, rather than his/her own. Additionally, if a person was born in an ineligible country, but neither of his/her parents were 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.

And Either:

• Have a high school education or its equivalent. This means successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education.

Or

• Have two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience to perform. Occupations meeting this requirement are available from the U.S. Department of Labor. Should you have questions in this regard, please contact Greenberg Traurig Business Immigration Group.

How to Apply:

• An applicant may submit only ONE entry. Should more than one entry be submitted, the applicant will be disqualified from the program.

• The applicant must personally sign the entry in his/her native alphabet. Failure of the applicant to personally sign his/her complete name in his/her native alphabet will result in disqualification from the program.

• There is no specific form for submission of an entry. The following information should be typed or printed clearly on a plain sheet of paper:
  • Full name, with the last (surname/family) name underlined.
  • Date of birth, showing Day, Month, and Year.
  • Place of birth, showing City/Town, District/County/Province, Country (the name should be the name currently in use).
  • The applicant’s native country if different from country of birth.
  • Name, date, and place of birth of the applicant’s spouse, and unmarried children under the age of 21. The applicant should include natural children, step-children, as well as all legally-adopted children.
  • Full mailing address.
  • Photographs. Include a recent photograph. Specifications for the photograph are detailed in the attached document.
  • Signature.

Failure to provide any of the information listed above will result in disqualification from the program.

Mailing Instructions

No fee is required, but the correct postage is necessary for the entry to reach the Kentucky Consular Center.

The entry must be submitted by regular or airmail. Entries sent by express or priority mail, or any delivery system other than regular or airmail will result in disqualification.

The envelope must be between 6 and 10 inches long and 3½ and 4½ inches wide. Postcards and envelopes inside other packets are not acceptable.

In the upper left hand corner of the envelope the applicant must write his/her country of nativity followed by the applicant’s name and full return address.

The mailing address for entries varies according to the applicant’s country of nativity. The addresses are as follows:

Selection Criteria

Selected applicants in the random drawing must meet all the eligibility requirements under U.S. law, including any applicable special processing and/or heightened scrutiny requirements established in response to the events of September 11, 2001. Natives of some countries, including but not limited to countries identified as state sponsors of terrorism, may be required to undergo lengthy and significant scrutiny of their cases.

Selected applicants MUST RECEIVE issuance of their diversity immigrant visas by SEPTEMBER 30, 2004, or they will no longer benefit from the program. This deadline applies to the processing of family members as well.

The list of eligible countries is in the attached Federal Register document.

Notification of Successful Applicants

Only selected applicants will be notified. Notices will be mailed between April and July of 2003, to the address listed on the entry, along with instructions for the application for the immigrant visa.

Being selected does not automatically guarantee issuance of an immigrant visa, even if the applicant is qualified, because of the number of entries selected and registered is greater than the number of immigrant visas available. Therefore, it is important that those selected complete and file their immigrant visa applications immediately.

Additional Information

Interested individuals may call Greenberg Traurig Business Immigration Group or the U.S. Department of State information line at (202) 331-7199. Applicants overseas may contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for instructions. Information is also available at http://travel.state.gov.

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