The Department of State (DOS) announced that registration for the diversity visa (DV)-2023 program began October 6, 2021, and ends Tuesday, November 9, 2021, at noon ET. Applicants must submit entries for the DV-2023 program electronically at https://dvprogram.state.gov/. DOS warned applicants not to wait until the last week because “heavy demand may result in website delays.”

For DV-2023, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States in the previous five years: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, Venezuela, and Vietnam. 

Natives of Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.

DV applicants must meet the education/work experience requirement by having either:

  • At least a high school education or equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of formal elementary and secondary education; or
  • Two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform.

DOS noted that individuals who submit more than one entry during the registration period will be disqualified. The agency noted that for purposes of eligibility, some countries include “components and dependent areas overseas.” Those who are natives of a dependency or overseas territory should “select the appropriate country of eligibility. For example, natives of Macau S.A.R. should select Portugal, and natives of Martinique should select France.”

DOS posted DV-2023 program instructions in English and said those are the “only official version. Unofficial translations in additional languages” will be added as they become available. So far, unofficial translations in Nepali, Polish, Romanian, and Ukrainian were posted.

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