Are you eligible for the Diversity Visa Lottery?
View(s):The U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka is proud to partner with the Sunday Times, one of Sri Lanka’s leading newspapers, to produce a bi-weekly “Ask the Consul” column to answer common questions about the visas to the United States.
This week we again feature the popular Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery Program (https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/) which opened on October 1 and runs through November 3. Many people still have questions about eligibility for the program.
I am 25 years old, unmarried and just completed my university degree in chemistry. Should I list my parents on the application? Can they travel with me to the United States if I am selected for the programme?
This is the most common question we have encountered during our outreach across the country. Sri Lankan families want to stay together.Unfortunately parents and siblings of the applicant are ineligible to receive Diversity Visas as dependents, so they should not be included in your entry. However, if you are selected for the program, you can later sponsor your parents for travel to the United States once you become a U.S. citizen.
I am married but do not live with my spouse. My wife is currently working as an accountant in Dubai. Should I include her on my application?
This is another great question about which family members you must list on your application. You must list your spouse regardless of whether or not she is living with you or intends to immigrate to the United States, or even if you are currently separated from her. The only exception to this rule is if you are legally separated (i.e., there is a written agreement recognized by a court or a court order). Thus, you do not have to list your spouse if you are legally separated, but you will not be penalized if you do so.
Finally, if you are divorced or your spouse is deceased, you do not have to list your former spouse at all.
Please remember that you must list ALL your living children who are unmarried and under 21 years of age at the time of your initial E-DV entry, whether they are your natural children, your stepchildren (even if you are now divorced from that child’s parent), your spouse’s children, or children you have formally adopted in accordance with the laws of your country. List all children under 21 years of age at the time of your application, even if they no longer reside with you or you do not intend for them to immigrate under the DV program. You are not required to list children who are already U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents, but you can if you want.
If you list family members on your entry, they are not required to apply for a visa or to immigrate or travel with you. However, if you fail to include an eligible dependent on your original entry but later list that person on your visa application forms, your case will be disqualified at the time of your visa interview. No visas will be issued to you or any of your family members.
If I receive a visa through the Diversity Visa program, will the U.S. government pay for my airfre to the United States, help me find housing and employment, and/or provide healthcare or any subsidies until I am fully settled?
No. The U.S. government will not provide airline tickets or help you find housing and a job. The U.S. government will not provide health care or any other subsidies if you receive a visa through the Diversity Visa program. If you are selected to apply for this type of visa, you will need to demonstrate that you will not become a public charge in the United States before being issued a visa. This evidence may be in the form of a combination of your personal assets, an Affidavit of Support (Form I-134) submitted by a relative or friend residing in the United States, or an offer of employment from an employer in the United States.
I have received an email encouraging me to send money to an account in the UK in order to increase my chances of being selected for the Diversity Visa lottery. How do I recognize fraudulent websites and emails?
We often hear this concern from our Diversity Visa applicants. It is completely FREE to enter the lottery. If you use an agent or a website that asks for a fee, then you are not on the official U.S. Government website. Any website or agent that charges a fee is not authorized by the U.S. Government, and their services should not be used. You do not pay any fees until you go to the U.S. Embassy for your visa interview.
Of course, never use an agent who says they can help you “win” the lottery or “improve your chances” for a fee. These people are trying to take your money. Winners are randomly selected by U.S. government computers. This means no one can influence the outcome of the lottery. The scammers behind these fraudulent emails, letters and websites are posing as the U.S. government in an attempt to extract payment from Diversity Visa applicants. These websites are designed to appear official, and often have images of the U.S. flag, U.S. Capitol, White House, or Statue of Liberty. What these websites and emails are missing is the “.gov” suffix on their addresses.
Remember that anything that does not end with “.gov” should be considered suspect. All applicants should remember that the only official information about the Diversity Visa program is found on U.S. government websites ending in “.gov,” The only official way to apply for this program is directly online at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov during the limited registration period.
Note: The U.S. Department of State does not mail or email notifications to Diversity Visa entrants informing them of their winning entries. Diversity Visa program entrants must check their status of their lottery entry online at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov to find out if they were selected or not.
For more information about the Diversity Visas and the process, please visit the Embassy website at srilanka.usembassy.gov.