Recent changes in DV Lottery rules.

The biggest change is the way that the US Government notifies the selection.
The Government will NOT notify any individuals with either mail, e-mail or phone, instead, starting May 1st, 2011, each person must check the Government Website by themselves.
This Entry Status Check will be the only means to check your status, nothing else.

DV registration period has shortened to just about a month, about a half of DV2011.

Counties for eligibility are changed.
The following is the list of counties NOT eligible for US Green Card Lottery for DV2014;

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.

Changes in eligibility this year: FOR DV-2014, NATIVES OF GUATEMALA ARE NOW ELIGIBLE FOR SELECTION.

Digital file for DV Lottery

We can make your digital photo for DV Lottery in 2 ways.

The price is $25.00 plus tax.

1.	If you are in NY area, please come to Doi Camera in person. No appointment necessary, you can just walk in. We will take a photo of you with a Digital Camera at our studio and make a digital file for DV Lottery according to the DV Lottery requirements. The digital file will be checked at DV2012 photo validation site to make absolutely certain of its eligibility. The digital file will be stored on a CD. CD is the only way to give you a file. We will NOT put the digital file on your USB device nor E-mail it to you. The whole process will take about 15 minutes or less.
2.	If you are unable to come to our store in person, you can E-mail us your photo. We will create a Digital File for DV Lottery Application for you and send it back to you by E-mail. The price is $25.00. The Digital File will be sent to you after verified on US government's Web site, so we will guarantee you that the file is good for your entry. Please follow the steps below: Step 1. Take a photograph of you with a digital camera. You will stand in front of a plain background ( white wall or door will be perfect). When you compose your face, make sure you are leaving enough space around your head (many photos we receive is way too big). Check list: - before sending the file to us, please check the following points. 1. No smiling 2. No hair covers your eyes 3. Both shoulders shown 4. Preferably, both ears shown 5. Preferable, no glasses. 6. Face size not too big. You should look like this on a display- head is small, both shoulders shown! We can't make square photo from rectangular image! If you send us a tight rectangular photo (such as 35mm x 45mm size), we can NOT make square photos, simply because we don't have your shoulders! 35mm x 45mm 2x2 inch   Step 2. Please E-mail us the photo as an attachment.   Step 3 . We will edit the photo according to the spec for US Green Card Lottery entry, and verify the file on US Government site.   Step 5. We will ask you a payment by email, for which you pay using your credit card. Once the payment is confirmed, we will send the digital file by e-mail.     How to use the digital file for DV Lottery. Digital file on a CD   Step 1. Insert the CD to your PC or Mac, before starting DV Lottery on-line entry. Step 2. Start the entry Step 3. During the entry when prompted, choose the CD directory (normally D: or E: ) and upload the image directly from the CD. Note: Don't double click on the file on CD and save again. Double click and save will change the file size. Please upload the image directly from the CD.   Digital file by E-mail   Note: Don't double click on the downloaded file and save again. Double click and save will change the file size and may disqualify for DV Lottery Entry. You can download the file as many times as you like from your email, so don't get uptight. Try right clicking the file, select save as, then choose your desktop, if you made a mistake, try again. Step 1. Download the file to your desktop or (my )Picture folder. Step 2. Start DV Program application. Step 3. When prompted, upload the file from the place you downloaded.   Using digital file at work. Problems and Solutions when you use the US Visa digital file at work. Problem with CD I Received a DS160 file on a CD but the CD doesn't work with my company's PC, why? Solution Because of security reason, many networked PCs at office are disabled showing executable files such as .exe extension files. Some companies took further security cautions and disabled all possible executable files including the .jpg file. The only way to go is to try with other compeer that is not a part of the network, like your home PC. Problem with E-mail I received your DS160 file by E-mail at my office, but can't download the attachment with my PC, why? Solution When you use an office computer to download the file we sent by E-mail, you might not be able to download it. This is because your company's security system does not allow you to download graphic files like Jpg format. Since US Government wants a Jpg file, but your company doesn't want you to download Jpg files, all you can do is to use a computer that does not belong to your company's network, like your private PC at home. How to test if your office PC allows you to download Jpg files. We have a jpg file for you to download. Please click here and download the file. If you can't download it , your company's PC prohibits it - no luck. If you can download it, E-mail it to yourself and receive it, to see if you can download from E-mail also. Some companies have different level of security policies for WEB downloading and for E-mail attachment.   Disclaimer - Doi Camera will not be responsible for your computer, not how to use it. The customer must know how to handle E-mail attachment and how to download it.

Can you process a complete DV Lottery Entry for me?

No we don't.
You don't have to pay us to do it, anyway.
You can do it by yourself. It's a free service from US Government.

What is "DV Lottery", E-DV, "Green Card Lottery Program" or "US DV program"?

It's a US Government Program that gives away over 55000 Green Cards each year.

Once a year.

US Government needs labor force.

Rule 1, You need either High School education or two years of certain type job experience.
(what type of work ? details on page 2 of DV Lottery Instruction )

Rule 2, You were born in a country which is NOT listed the below.
(a list of ineligible countries)

BANGLADESH, BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, 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

Rule 3 (exceptions to the 2nd rule)
Even if you are born in an ineligible country(such as Brazil), you still can apply:
-1. If you are married to a spouse who was born in an eligible country, or
-2. Neither of your parents was born or resided in an ineligible country when you were born.

Sound confusing?
Put it this way.
(the High School Education can be substituted by certain two year job experiences)

A.
1. If you are born in an eligible country, AND
2. have a High School education
then, you are in.

B.
If you were born in an ineligible country, but have a High School education,
you still can apply as a main applicant (= you can put your spouse as a dependent) if:
-1. you are married to a person who is eligible, or
-2. you are single but, neither of your parents was born nor resided in an ineligible country.

For more details on your particular situation, read DV Lottery Instruction.

Note:
A married couple can apply twice in a year making each other as a main applicant.
Your spouse as a dependent has nothing to do with this qualification, so is your child.

By random selections by computers. Here is what US Government says:
The Congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program makes available
50,000 permanent resident visas annually, drawn from random selection
among all entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from
countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

You have to visit the Government Website and check by yourself.

Since 2010 (DV2012), there is no notice sent out to applicants.
No E-mail, no regular mail, no phone no nothing.

The only way to check your status is on the Government Web site, after May 1st next year.

First of all, you have to keep the entry confirmation number for the status check.
If you loose this number, the US Government will NOT resend you, therefore,
there is no way for you to check the status.
You might be selected, but you can't claim nor you can't proceed the Green Card process.

IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU KEEP THE ENTRY NUMBER UNTIL MAY, NEXT YEAR.

No.
US Government will not notify any individuals.
The sole means to check is to visit their Website after May 1, next year.

No.
US Government will not notify you anybody by E-mail..

It is a FREE program.
It's a free program from US Government.
So if you can do it all by yourself, it's free.

US Government will not charge you, it's a free program.
But if you ask someone's help to assist you, they can charge you the fee for it.
However, there is a Website Fraud Warning from US Government.

How to enter US Green card Lottery Program?

Everything must be done on the internet, no regular mail is accepted.
Your photo must be submitted digitally through the Internet.
You can download the instruction from US Government site.

Digital file for US Green Card Lottery E-DV