For further information and future updates on the 2012 DV program, please see:

http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1322.html

Diversity Visa (DV) Instructions

Every fall, the U.S. Government offers citizens of certain countries an opportunity to enter the lottery for a "Diversity Visa" (DV). The online registration period for the 2013 Diversity Visa Program (DV-2013) began at www.dvlottery.state.gov on Tuesday, October 4, 2011, at noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and will conclude on Saturday, November 5, 2011, at noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4). Please read the DV-2013 Program Instructions BEFORE submitting an entry.

The English version of the DV-2013 Program Instructions (PDF 280 KB) is available in PDF format for your convenience and required use. The English language version of the DV-2013 Program Instructions is the only official version.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul encourages all qualified Afghans to apply for the DV lottery program through the official U.S. Department of State website. Afghans applying for the program should read the requirements very carefully to ensure they are qualified. The only way to enter the DV lottery is at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/. See the Diversity Visa Program webpage for information about:

• Important fraud warning
• DV qualifying occupations
• Diversity Visa program DV-2012 entrants may check the status of their DV-2012 entry at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov

Diversity Visa Scams

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul advises the public of a notable increase in fraudulent emails and letters sent to Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) program (Visa Lottery) applicants. The scammers behind these fraudulent emails and letters are posing as the U.S. government in an attempt to extract payment from DV applicants. Fraudulent websites are posing as official U.S. government sites. Some companies posing as the U.S. government have sought money in order to "complete" DV entry forms. There is no charge to download and complete the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form. Others e-mail asking for money to issue the diversity visa and offer the recipient "deals" on jobs, apartments and an education in the United States. To learn more about these scams, see the Department of State Warning and the Federal Trade Commission Warning. Review the procedures for the DV program so that you know what to expect, when to expect it, and from whom.

The Department of State does NOT notify successful DV applicants by letter or email. Entrants can check the status of their entries by returning to the website at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov to find out if their entry was or was not selected.

Do NOT respond to any e-mail that indicates you have won a visa and do NOT send that person any money. Those emails are fraudulent. If you receive such an email, please forward it to KabulIV@state.gov.