DV Lottery Season to begin and end soon

On Tuesday October 2, 2012 at noon Eastern Daylight time, the Diversity 2014 Lottery (DV-2014) begins. The end date for submission is Saturday November 3, 2012 at noon Eastern Daylight time.

The DV Lottery is a means to immigrate to the U.S. on a random basis without a petition. Approximately 5% of entrants who apply win a DV Lottery immigrant visa. 55,000 DV Lottery visas are issued annually. The purpose of the lottery is to balance from where immigrants to the U.S. are coming to the U.S. to live permanently.

Once chosen, it's only necessary to show a high school diploma (or equivalent) or two years’ experience in the last five years working in a skilled job requiring at least two years’ experience to perform, plus meet the usual admissibility hurdles regarding criminal conduct, health and national security issues.

Only natives of certain countries qualify. Natives from these countries do NOT qualify: BANGLADESH, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PAKISTAN, PERU, PHILIPPINES, SOUTH KOREA, UNITED KINGDOM (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and VIETNAM. 

Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible. In the past Guatemalan natives did not qualify, however, they do now.

For more information on the DV lottery, go here http://travel.state.gov/pdf/DV_2014_Instructions.pdf or feel free to call Alice Yardum-Hunter’s office at 818 609 1953.