Diversity Visa Lottery Registration Begins

Visa Lottery Instructions HTML | PDF

The U.S. Department of State is launching the 2006 Diversity Visa Lottery with assurances of its capability to meet demand and warnings about the risks of fraud in the process.

The Diversity Visa Lottery is a program in which the United States awards 50,000 permanent resident visas annually to individuals applying from countries that historically have low levels of immigration to this country.

Applications may be filed only online through a Web site especially created for and dedicated to that purpose. A State Department media note issued November 5 says the number of servers hosting the registration site have been tripled this year in order to accommodate all the applicants interested in the program.

Natives of countries that sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States within the past five years are not eligible for the 2006 visa lottery.

Full details and application instructions are available at http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants_types_diversity3.html.

Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
November 5, 2004

2006 Diversity Visa Lottery Registration Begins

Registration for the 2006 Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery opens today. Persons seeking to enter the lottery program must register online through the designated Internet website during the registration period. The website for registering for the 2006 DV Lottery, www.dvlottery.state.gov, will be available from noon November 5, 2004 through noon January 7, 2005.

In response to demand, the Department tripled the number of servers hosting the registration website this year. In addition, persons submitting entries to the 2006 lottery will receive a notice of receipt now containing their name, date of birth, country of chargeability, and a time/date stamp when information has been properly registered at www.dvlottery.state.gov.

The Department continues to encourage persons who wish to enter the 2006 Diversity Visa Lottery to submit their information early in the two-month registration period.

There is no fee charged for entering the Diversity Visa Lottery. The Department of State does not endorse, recommend or sponsor any information or material from outside entities. The Department is aware that websites and email have masqueraded as official Diversity Visa Lottery facilitators. Registration for the Diversity Visa Lottery through the official, U.S. government website, www.dvlottery.state.gov is free of charge and notification of winning entries are sent by mail only.

The 2006 Diversity Visa Lottery marks the second year that electronic registration is required. Paper entries and mail-in requests for Diversity Visa Lottery registration are not accepted.

2004/1198 [End]

Released on November 5, 2004