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Employers of foreign nationals should note that registration for the Fiscal Year 2015 Diversity Visa ("DV") Lottery opened yesterday, October 1, 2013, at noon (EDT) and will remain open until noon (EDT) on Saturday, November 2, 2013. The DV Program is an alternate path for foreign nationals who meet the program's eligibility requirements to obtain permanent residence in the United States. Each fiscal year, the U.S. Department of State, through a computer-generated lottery selection, makes available 50,000 immigrant visas ("green cards") to a class of immigrants known as "diversity immigrants."
Who Is Eligible to Enter the FY 2015 Lottery?
People from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States may register for the DV Lottery. The list of countries is subject to change from year to year. For this DV Lottery, employees born in one of the following countries are NOT eligible: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.
Employees born in any country not listed above, including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, ARE eligible to register. In addition, employees who were born in one of the ineligible countries listed above may still be able to register, provided that (1) if married, the employee's spouse was born in a country whose natives are eligible; or (2) in some circumstances, if a parent was born in a country whose natives are eligible.
In addition to being eligible to enter based on country of birth, an employee must meet either the education (a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education) or work experience requirement (two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience to perform, as set forth in the U.S. Department of Labor's O*Net Online database).
How Does an Employee Register for the Lottery?
An employee (not the employer) must submit an online Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form (E-DV entry form or Form DS-5501) and a digital photo through the Department of State's official lottery website at www.dvlottery.state.gov, during the registration period. This website has Frequently Asked Questions to guide users through the online registration process. The employee should register early and make sure his/her photo meets the required specifications as shown on the website. Lottery applicants are permitted to submit only one entry per person. All entries by an individual will be disqualified if more than one entry is submitted. Any incomplete entry will also be disqualified. Once an employee successfully registers electronically, a confirmation screen will appear on his/her computer containing his/her name and confirmation number. The employee must print this screen for his/her records and save the confirmation number.
How Does an Employee Learn if He/She Has Been Selected as a Lottery Winner?
An employee may check the status of his/her entry starting May 1, 2014, on the official DV Lottery website indicated above by clicking on Entrant Status Check and entering his/her unique confirmation number and personal information. This is the only method of notification of a winning entry selection; the Department of State will not send letters or e-mails or make calls to the selected lottery winners.
Protect Yourself From Lottery Fraud
There is no cost or charge by the Department of State for employees to register for the DV Lottery. The U.S. government does not employ any outside consultants or private services to operate the program. The only authorized website where employees can officially register to participate in the DV Program is www.dvlottery.state.gov. Accordingly, employers and employees should be very wary of any deceptive lottery websites claiming to have State Department authorization or any e-mails or letters that claim to be from the State Department. As stated above, the State Department does not send letters or e-mails, and the official lottery website is the only legitimate place to submit a registration or to learn about lottery results. Any third-party attempts to provide registrations for a fee are highly likely to be a scam or fraud; no third party can improve an applicant's chances of being selected as a DV Lottery winner.
If you have any questions regarding the DV Lottery, please contact us.
Day Pitney Attorneys Daniel Schwartz, Michael Lane and Lindsey Viscomi authored the article, "Don't Be Late Paying Terminated Employees in Massachusetts," for Law360 Employment Authority.
Day Pitney Employment and Labor attorneys Glenn Dowd and Lindsey Viscomi will be presenting "Critical HR Transactions," at the CBIA 2022 Human Resources Conference on March 17 at the Trumbull Marriott Shelton.
Employment and Labor attorneys Heather Weine Brochin, Michael T. Bissinger, Howard Fetner and Trisha Efiom co-authored the article, "Keeping Up With New York's New Employment Laws," published by Employment Benefit Plan Review.
Day Pitney Alert
Day Pitney Alert
Day Pitney Employment and Labor Partner Rachel Gonzalez was featured in the Diverse Lawyers Network newsletter for being a recipient of the Executive Women of New Jersey Salute to the Policy Makers Award.
Day Pitney Press Release
Employment and Labor Partner Glenn W. Dowd is quoted in the Hartford Business Journal article, "Many CT Businesses Breathe 'Sigh of Relief' After Federal Vaccine Mandate is Withdrawn."
Employment and Labor partner Glenn W. Dowd is quoted in the Hartford Business Journal article, "Small Business Anxieties Still Persist As CT's New Paid Leave Program Set To Debut Jan. 1."
Attorneys Kritika Bharadwaj, Benjamin E. Haglund, Theresa A. Kelly, Naju R. Lathia and Elizabeth J. Sher represented the firm at the South Asian Bar Association of New Jersey (SABA-NJ) 2021 Annual Gala on October 1 at The Marigold in Somerset, NJ.
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This website may use cookies, pixel tags and other passive tracking technologies, including Google Analytics, to improve functionality and performance. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. By using our website, you are consenting to our use of these tracking technologies. You can alter the configuration of your browser to refuse to accept cookies, but if you do so, it is possible that some areas of web sites that use cookies will not function properly when you view them. To learn more about how to delete and manage cookies, refer to the support instructions for each browser (e.g., see AllAboutCookies.org). You may locate Google Analytics' currently available opt-outs for the web here.