 STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUES INSTRUCTIONS FOR DV-2003 GREEN CARD LOTTERY
Today, the U.S. Department of State issued its instructions for entering the DV-2003 Green Card Lottery. This announcement comes one day after the State Department issued a new interim rule changing some of the regulations implementing the lottery program. The DV-2003 instructions, which are sixteen pages long, provide detailed instructions covering all aspects of the DV-2003 lottery program and incorporate the changes made by the new State Department interim rule.
According to the instructions, all applications for the DV-2003 lottery must be received between noon on Monday, October 1, 2001, and noon on Wednesday, October 31, 2001. Entries received before or after these dates will be disqualified regardless of when they are postmarked.
All countries are eligible to participate in the DV-2003 Green Card Lottery, EXCEPT: CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, EL SALVADOR, HAITI, INDIA, JAMAICA, MEXICO, PAKISTAN, 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. The only change to the list of eligible lottery countries from last year's DV-2002 lottery is that the Macau Special Administrative Region (Macau SAR) is now eligible. Last year Macau SAR was not eligible.
Other important changes to the Green Card Lottery instructions for DV-2003 include: (1) Changes to the Kentucky Consular Center mailing addresses for receiving entries; (2) Stricter signature rules requiring the signature of the principal applicant to be their usual and customary signature in their native alphabet (for example, as their signature would appear on their passport or other official or contractual documents); (3) Requiring that additional photographs of the principal applicant's spouse and/or children be included with the lottery application; (4) Changes to the size and formatting requirements for all photographs; and (5) Changes to the guidelines for determining qualified work experience.
For more detailed analysis of the DV-2003 Green Card Lottery instructions issued by the U.S. Department of State, please visit Siskind, Susser, Haas & Devine's new Visalaw Green Card Lottery Center website at http://www.visalawlottery.com. As a service to the general public, the Visalaw Green Card Lottery Center provides the most reliable, up-to-date information available about the eligibility requirements and entry procedures for the Green Card Lottery. The Visalaw Green Card Lottery Center also provides services for individuals seeking assistance with the preparation of their DV-2003 application, as well as services for DV-2002 lottery winners seeking to obtain their Green Card. The State Department rules can be found online at http://www.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2001_register&docid=01-18913-filed. If you have any questions about the Green Card Lottery or the Visalaw Green Card Lottery Center, please contact info@visalawlottery.com.
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