2003 Lottery Visa Program Instructions Issued
Posted Aug 10, 2001

We receive requests at the Law Office of Sheela Murthy, from time to time, about the time frames and requirements for the visa lottery program. We are happy to share the information below with you on the rules for the 2003 lottery program.

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has published guidelines for the Diversity Visa (DV) 2003 Program, also known as the ‘Visa Lottery.’ Entries for DV2003 must be received at the appropriate Kentucky Consular Center mailing address between noon on Monday, October 1, 2001 and noon on Wednesday, October 31, 2001. Entries received after that date will be disqualified with no exceptions.

Visas are selected by a computerized, random drawing from 6 geographic regions. Note that natives of the following countries are NOT eligible to apply:

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.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS :

a. Applicant must be a “native” of a “qualifying country”

 “Native” country : country where born or where spouse was born if applicant born in ineligible country, provided both applicant and spouse are applying and will enter the U.S. simultaneously. If person was born in an ineligible country but neither of the 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’ countries of birth.

“Qualifying country” : on the list of eligible countries. Note that the list of eligible countries has changed from the previous year. See the DOS website at www.state.gov for a complete list of countries.

b. Applicant must meet the education or training requirements of the DV program. This means either (i) a high school education or its equivalent OR (ii) 2 years of work experience within the past 5 years in an occupation requiring at least 2 years of training or experience.

THE APPLICATION :

There is no specific format. Only one entry is allowed per person. Use a plain sheet of paper and type or print the following:

• Full Name with Last Name underlined

• Date and Place of Birth (‘Place’ = City / Town, District / County / Province, and Country)

• Applicant’s native country, if different from country of birth

• Name, date, and place of birth of Applicant’s spouse, all children, including legally-adopted and stepchildren, who are unmarried and under 21 years of age.

• Full Mailing Address. Telephone number is optional.

• New requirement : Recent Photograph/s must be included of Applicant and each family member including Applicant’s spouse and each child. Print name and date of birth of each person on the back of his/her photo. Consult the DOS website for full details of photo requirements.

• Signature : Applicant must personally sign. New requirement : The signature must be in the Applicant’s native alphabet as it would appear on passport or other official or contractual document. It must be the applicant's usual signature, and all names must be written out (no initials). One may sign in Roman alphabet if not native alphabet but only after first signing in native alphabet.

MAILING :

Each region has a separate mailing address at the Kentucky Consular Center. Note that the address for submitting the DV applications has changed. For details of the address for your region, consult the DOS website or have our office assist you with the application.

The application must be submitted by regular or airmail only. Other methods of mailing will not be processed. In the upper left hand corner of the envelope, the applicant must write his/her country of nativity, followed by his/her name and full return address.

SELECTION :

Selected Applicants will be notified by mail between April and June 2002. DV 2003 visas will be issued between October 1, 2002 and September 30, 2003.

NOTE : INS must complete action on all cases before September 30, 2003. No visa numbers for the DV 2003 Program will be available after midnight on September 30, 2003 under any circumstances.

NOTE ALSO : This is not a comprehensive list of all the requirements. We strongly recommend that you consult the U.S. Dept of State Website or an attorney for further details, since failure to comply with any of the requirements results in disqualification.