Yerevan, Armenia - The U.S. Department of State announces the opening of the registration period for the 2019 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery, also known as the “Green Card Lottery.” The new registration period for DV-2019 opens for electronic entries at noon, Eastern Daylight Time, Wednesday, October 18, 2017, and closes at noon, Eastern Standard Time, Wednesday, November 22, 2017.



Due to technical issues, the registration period for DV-2019 is being restarted, and all entries made prior to October 18, 2017, will need to be resubmitted for the entrant to be considered.  We regret the inconvenience to Diversity Visa entrants.  In order to ensure fairness and protect the integrity of the process for all those concerned, however, we must restart the entry process for this year (DV-2019).



For applicants who entered before Wednesday, October 18, 2017, that entry will NOT be considered, and applicants will need to submit another entry during the new registration period. Applicants may submit one new entry without being disqualified for submitting multiple entries. Individuals who submit more than one entry during the new registration period will be disqualified.  All other eligibility requirements remain the same



Applicants must submit a recent photo taken within the last six months.  Entries that include the same photo from the last DV year (DV-2018) will be disqualified. Applicants should retain their entry confirmation page with their unique confirmation number.



Applicants can access the electronic DV entry form (E-DV) at the official E-DV website, dvlottery.state.gov, during the registration period.  Entrant Status Check will be available on the E-DV website at dvlottery.state.gov beginning May 15, 2018, through at least September 30, 2019.  We do not anticipate any delay in the DV-2019 process at this time.



The annual DV program makes immigrant visas available to persons meeting simple, but strict, eligibility requirements. A computer-generated, random lottery drawing chooses selectees for visa interviews. The Diversity Visa Program requires the principal applicant to have a high school education, or its equivalent, or two years of qualifying work experience within the past five years as defined under provisions of U.S. law. Entrants may prepare and submit their own entries or have someone submit the entry for them.  Regardless of whether an entry is submitted by the individual directly or with assistance, only one entry may be submitted in the name of each individual during the new registration period. The person entering the DV lottery is responsible for ensuring that the information provided is correct and complete.  Visas are distributed among six geographic regions, with a greater number of visas going to regions with lower rates of immigration. No DV visas are given to nationals of countries that sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the past five years. Within each region, no single country may receive more than 7% of the available DVs in any one year.



There is no cost or fee to register for the DV Program. You are strongly encouraged to complete the entry form yourself, without a “Visa Consultant,” “Visa Agent,” or other facilitator who offers to help for a fee. If somebody else helps you, you should be present when your entry is prepared so that you can provide the correct information. You should retain the confirmation page and your unique confirmation number.



Fraud Warning: Diversity Visa Program Scammers Sending Fraudulent Emails and Letters



The Department of State, Office of Visa Services, advises the public of a notable increase in fraudulent emails and letters sent to Diversity Visa (DV) program (Visa Lottery) applicants. The scammers behind these fraudulent emails and letters are posing as the U.S. government in an attempt to extract payment from DV applicants. All applicants should be familiar with information about DV scams provided by the Federal Trade Commission. Applicants are encouraged to review the rules and procedures for the DV program so that you know what to expect, when to expect it, and from whom.



While DV applicants may receive an email from the U.S. government reminding them to check their status online through DV Entrant Status Check, they will not receive a notification letter or email informing them that they are a successful DV entrant. Instead, entrants will use their confirmation number to check their status online. Beginning May 15, 2018, DV-2019 entrants will be able to use their unique confirmation number provided at registration to check the online Entrant Status Check at dvlottery.state.gov to see if their entry was selected.  Entrant Status Check will inform successful entrants how to apply for DVs for themselves and their eligible family members.  The Department also will confirm visa interview appointments through the Entrant Status Check.



For more information on fraudulent websites and e-mails, please refer to the frequently asked questions on this page: https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/general/fraud.html.



It is important to note that winning the lottery is not a guarantee that you will receive a visa - winners must be interviewed and qualify for a visa.



For detailed information about entry requirements, along with frequently asked questions about the DV lottery, please see the instructions for the DV-2019 DV lottery available at http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/immigrate/diversity-visa/instructions.html.