Press Releases

U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery Registration Starts October 5

9/30/2005

The U.S. Government's Diversity Visa Lottery for 2007 (DV-2007) will be open for registration from Wednesday, October 5, until Sunday, December 4, 2005.

As for the past two years, the Internet is the only way to register for the so-called Green Card Lottery. Mailed-in or paper entries will not be accepted. Each person is permitted to submit only one entry. Multiple entries will all be disqualified.

Registration is by a special form found at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov. The form is filled out and submitted entirely by computer on-line. An on-line application also requires a digital photograph, so any computer used for registration must also be able to scan a photograph that meets the requirements explained at the website.

Information regarding registration for the DV-2007 lottery is now available for pick-up at the American Consulate General, 27 Nablus Road, Jerusalem. Send written requests to the American Consulate General, Box 290, Jerusalem or by fax to 02-628-5455. Include a full name and address in any request for information. Residents of the West Bank may receive instructions through ARAMEX at no cost. For Jerusalem residents, the information will be sent via regular mail.

The Diversity Visa lottery was established to make 50,000 permanent resident visas available annually. Winners will drawn next year from a random selection among all the entries from persons who meet the strict eligibility requirements from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

Last year, 6.3 million entries were submitted to the lottery. Nearly 150 successfully selected lottery winners were allowed to file applications for immigrant visas at the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem during the past year.
No fee is charged to enter the annual DV program. There have been instances of fraudulent websites posing as official U.S. Government sites that ask for money in order to "complete" lottery entry forms. There is no charge to download and complete the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form.
The U.S. Government employs no outside consultants or private services to operate the DV Lottery program. Hiring a company or attorney to enter the lottery for someone is a personal decision, but the person who is paid will have to follow the same procedure as any applicant. The chance of being selected is the same whether the entry is submitted by the applicant without any help or if someone else is paid to do it.
Information is also available at the U.S. Consulate's website, http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov.