U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
STATEMENT BY RICHARD BOUCHER, SPOKESMAN
For Immediate Release
July 31, 2000
DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM (DV-2002)
Section 203(c) of the Immigration Act of 1990 makes available up to 55,000
permanent resident immigrant visas each year by random selection through a
Diversity Visa lottery (DV-2002). The DV-2002 registration mail-in period
will be held between noon on Monday, October 2, 2000 and noon on Wednesday,
November 1, 2000. Please note several important changes in requirements and
eligibility described below.

How are the visas being apportioned?

The visas will be apportioned among six geographic regions. A greater number
of visas will go to those regions that have lower immigration rates and no
visas may be issued to countries2 that have sent more than 50,000 immigrants
to the United States during the previous five years. No one country can
receive more than seven percent of the available diversity visas in any one
year.
Information about visa allotments for each region is determined by the
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) each year according to a
formula specified in Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
1The Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NCARA) passed by Congress
in November 1997 stipulates that up to 5,000 of the 55,000 annually
allocated diversity visas will be made available for use under the NCARA
program. The reduction of the limit of available visas to 50,000 began with
DV-2000 and remains in effect for the DV-2002 program.
2The term "country" in this notice includes countries, economies and other
jurisdictions explicitly listed.

The six geographic regions are:
AFRICA: All countries on the continent of Africa and adjacent islands are
eligible.
ASIA: All countries are eligible except China (mainland born and Macau),
India, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, and Vietnam. Persons born in Hong
Kong SAR and Taiwan are eligible.
EUROPE: All countries are eligible except Great Britain (United Kingdom) and
its dependent territories. (Northern Ireland is eligible.)
NORTH AMERICA: The Bahamas is the only eligible country in the region this
year. (Canada is not eligible for the DV lottery.)
OCEANIA: All countries in the region are eligible, including Australia, New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the countries and islands in the South
Pacific.
SOUTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN: All countries in the
region are eligible except Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti,
Jamaica, and Mexico.

Who is not eligible?

Persons born in "high admission" countries are, in most instances, not
eligible for the program. "High admission" countries are defined as those
from which the United States has received more than 50,000 immigrants during
the last five years in the immediate relative, family and employment
preference categories. Each year, the INS adds the family and employment
immigrant admission figures for the previous five years, to identify the
countries that must be excluded from the annual Diversity Lottery. Since
there is a separate determination made prior to each lottery entry period,
the list of countries that do not qualify is subject to change each year.
For DV-2002, the "high admission" countries are: Canada, China (mainland
born and Macau), Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti,
India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, the United
Kingdom and dependent territories, and Vietnam. Persons born in Hong Kong
SAR, Taiwan, and Northern Ireland are eligible to apply for the DV-2002
lottery.
Have the requirements changed since last year's registration?
The address for submitting DV applications has changed. Applicants must mail
their entries to the Kentucky Consular Center at the following address:
DV-2002 Program
Kentucky Consular Center
Lexington, KY zip code (see below)
U.S.A.
The mailing address for all entries is the same, except for the zip code.
The zip codes are as follows:
Africa: 41901
Asia: 41902
Europe: 41903
South America/Central America/Caribbean: 41904
Oceania: 41905
North America: 41906
Entries mailed to any address other than the Kentucky Consular Center
address will be disqualified.
There are also changes in the list of eligible DV countries from last year's
lottery - Poland and Taiwan are eligible and Pakistan is not eligible for
DV-2002.

What are the requirements to enter?

All applicants must be a native of a qualifying country. However, if a
person was born in an ineligible country but his or her spouse was born in
an eligible country, such a person can claim the spouse's country of birth,
provided 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 or her parents was born or resided there at the time of the
birth, such a person may be able to claim one of the parent's countries of
birth.
In addition, applicants must have either a high school education or its
equivalent, or within the past five years have two years of work experience
in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience.
If the applicant does not meet these requirements, he or she should not
submit an entry for the DV program.
There is no initial application fee or special application form to enter.
The entry must be typed or clearly printed in the English alphabet on a
sheet of plain paper and must include:
The applicant's full name and the name of the applicant's spouse and
children (if any);
The date and place of birth for both the applicant, the spouse (husband or
wife, even if separated, and even if the spouse does not plan to immigrate),
and any minor, unmarried children under age 21 (all minor, unmarried
children must be listed on the principal applicant's entry, regardless of
whether they wish to immigrate and regardless of whether they are the
natural children, the spouse's children by a previous marriage, or children
formally adopted by the principal applicant);
The applicant's mailing address and, if possible, a telephone number;
The applicant's native country if it differs from the country of birth;
A recent (preferably less than 6 months old) photograph (1 1/2 inches by 1
1/2 inches) of the principal applicant with the applicant's name printed
across the back of the photograph. (The photograph should be taped to the
entry with clear tape, not attached by staples or paper clips that can jam
the mail processing equipment.);
The applicant must also personally sign the entry using his or her usual and
customary signature in the native language, regardless of whether the entry
is prepared and submitted by the applicant or someone else. Photocopied
signatures are not acceptable. (Only the principal applicant, not the spouse
and children, needs to submit a signature and photograph.) Any entry that is
not personally signed by the applicant will be disqualified.
This information must be sent by regular mail or airmail to one of six
postal addresses in Lexington, Kentucky. Applicants must use the correct
postal zip code designated for their native region. The entry must be mailed
in a standard letter or business-size envelope with the applicant's native
country, full name, and complete mailing address typed or clearly printed in
the English alphabet in the upper left-hand corner of the envelope.
Postcards are not acceptable.
Only one entry for each applicant may be submitted during the registration
period. Any entry sent by express or priority mail, fax, hand, messenger, or
any means requiring receipts or special handling will not be processed.
Duplicate or multiple entries will disqualify an individual from
registration for this program. Any entry received before or after the
specified registration dates regardless of when it is postmarked and any
entry sent to an address other than one of those indicated will be
disqualified. All mail received during the registration period and meeting
the above requirements will be individually numbered and successful entrants
will be selected at random by computer regardless of time of receipt during
the specified mail-in period.
Please note: Failure to carefully follow all of these instructions will
disqualify the entry.

When are entries for the DV program accepted each year?

The month-long application period will be held each fall beginning at noon
on the first Monday in October. Each year, millions of applicants 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 application period in the fall ensures
successful applicants are notified in a timely manner. This also gives both
them and our embassies and consulates overseas a full fiscal year (fiscal
year 2002 begins on October 1, 2001 and ends on September 30, 2002) to
process the necessary immigrant visas.
Is it necessary to use an outside attorney or consultant?
The decision to hire an attorney or consultant is entirely up to the
applicant. Procedures for entering the Diversity Lottery can be completed
without assistance following simple instructions. However, if applicants
prefer to use outside assistance, that is their choice. There are many
legitimate attorneys and immigration consultants assisting applicants for
reasonable fees, or in some cases for free. Unfortunately, there are other
persons who are charging exorbitant rates and making unrealistic claims. The
selection of winners is made at random and no outside service can improve an
applicant's chances of being chosen or guarantee an entry will win. Any
service that claims it can improve an applicant's odds would be promising
something it cannot deliver.
Persons who think they have been cheated by a U.S. company or consultant in
connection with the DV Lottery may wish to contact their local consumer
affairs office or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The Internet address
for using the online complaint form is: http://www.ftc.gov.
The FTC can also be contacted by telephone, toll free at 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357) or (202)
382-4357 or TDD: (202) 326-2502. The mailing address is: Consumer Response
Center, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington,
D.C. 20580. (The FTC telephone number is only to report fraud and not to
obtain information about application procedures for the DV Lottery.)

How will winners be notified?

Only successful applicants will be notified by mail by the Kentucky Consular
Center at the address listed on their entry. The notifications will be sent
between April and July 2001, along with instructions on how to apply for an
immigrant visa. Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements under U.S.
law to be issued a visa.
Being selected in the DV Lottery does not automatically guarantee being
issued a visa because the number of applicants selected is greater than the
number of immigrant visas available. Those selected will therefore need to
act quickly on their immigrant visa applications. Applicants who are
physically present in the United States may be eligible to apply to the INS
for adjustment of status to permanent resident. However, such applicants
must ensure that INS can complete action on their cases before September 30,
2002. Once all available visas have been issued, the DV Program for fiscal
year 2002 will end. In any event, all DV-2002 visas must, by law, be issued
by September 30, 2002.
Where can one receive instructions to enter the lottery?
Interested persons may call (202) 331-7199, which describes the various
means to obtain further details on entering the DV-2002 program. Applicants
overseas may contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for instructions
on the DV lottery. DV information is also available in the "Visa Bulletin"
on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov
or via the Consular Affairs

automated fax at (202) 647-3000 (code 1550). Calls to the automated fax
service must be made from a fax machine using the receiver or voice option
of the caller's fax equipment.
Read the Visa Bulletin containing the DV-2002 Instructions
Go to the Visa Services Page
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