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The U.S. Department of State announces the opening of the registration period for the 2021 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery, also known as the “Green Card Lottery.” The new registration period for DV-2021 opened for electronic entries at noon, Eastern Daylight Time, Wednesday, October 2, 2019, and closes at noon, Eastern Standard Time, Tuesday, November 5, 2019.

Applicants can access the electronic DV entry form (E-DV) at the official E-DV website, dvlottery.state.gov, during the registration period, the press service of the U.S. Embassy in Armenia reported. 

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.  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 fraudulent emails and letters from scammers posing as the U.S. government in an attempt to extract payment from DV applicants. 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.  DV applicants 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. The Department also will confirm visa interview appointments through the Entrant Status Check online.

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-2021 DV lottery here.