Diversity Visas

Designed to bring greater racial and ethnic diversity to the United States, this Visa Lottery Program offers immigrant visas to citizens of nations that have a traditionally low level of immigrantion to the United States.  The U.S. Department of State plans to issue 50,000 diversity visas each year.

For information and future updates on the DV program, please visit the DV Lottery website  or the State Department webpage.

DV LOTTERY FRAUD:

There have been instances of fraudulent websites posing as official U.S. Government sites. Some companies claiming to represent the U.S. Government have sought money in order to "complete" lottery entry forms. There is no charge to download and complete the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form.  

The Department of State will no longer notify DV entrants by mail.  Now all DV entrants will be required to go to the E-DV website Entry Status Check to find out they have won. Selected individuals will be directed to a confirmation page and given further instructions and information about the fees.  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR DV APPLICANTS:

Before registering for the Diversity Visa Lottery, applicants are strongly encouraged to read the instructions posted at the Travel.State.Gov website (http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html) to ensure that they are eligible for a Diversity Visa. 

 Applicants must have either a high school education, its equivalent, or two years of work experience, within the past five years, in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience.

A high school education is defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education, which in Senegal means having successfully passed the baccalaureate or obtained an equivalent type of diploma.

Potential applicants who did not complete the second part of the baccalaureate and who apply on the basis of their professional experience should consult the U.S. Department of Labor’s online database at http://online.onetcenter.org to see if their profession qualifies.

Applicants who seek to qualify on the basis of their work experience must, within the past five years, have two years of experience in an occupation that is classified in a SVP (Special Vocational Preparation) range of 7.0 or higher.  Many applicants who apply based on their work experience do not, in fact, meet the minimum requirements of the Diversity Visa program, and their visa applications are refused.

Additional information on the Diversity Visa Immigrant Program is available on the State Department Web site: http://www.dvlottery.state.gov or alternatively by visiting US Embassy Dakar’s website at : http://dakar.usembassy.gov.