Information about US Green Card Lottery (DV2010 Program)

To enter the DV lottery, you must be a native of one of the listed countries.
Native of a country whose natives qualify: In most cases, this means the country in which you were born. However, there are two other ways you may be able to qualify. First, if you were born in a country whose natives are ineligible but your spouse was born in a country whose natives are eligible; you can claim your spouse’s country of birth, provided both you and your spouse are on the selected entry, are issued visas, and enter the U.S. simultaneously.
Second, if you were born in a country whose natives are ineligible, but neither of your parents was born there or resided there at the time of your birth, you may claim nativity in one of your parents’ country of birth, if it is a country whose natives qualify for the DV-2010 program.
To enter the lottery, you must meet either the education or work experience requirement of the DV program. Education or Work Experience: You must have either a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education; OR two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience to perform. The U.S. Department of Labor’s O*Net OnLine database will be used to determine qualifying work experience. For more information about qualifying work experience, see Frequently Asked Question #13.
It is very important that all required photographs be submitted. Your entry will be disqualified if all required photographs are not submitted. Recent photographs of the following people must be submitted electronically with the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form:
You
Your spouse
Each unmarried child under 21 years of age at the time of your electronic entry, including all natural children as well as all legally-adopted children and stepchildren, even if a child no longer resides with you or you do not intend for a child to immigrate under the DV program.

You do not need to submit a photo for a child who is already a U.S. citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident. Group or family photographs will not be accepted; there must be a separate photograph for each family member. Failure to submit the required photographs for your spouse and each child listed will result in an incomplete entry to the E-DV system. The entry will not be accepted and must be resubmitted. Failure to enter the correct photograph of each individual in the case into the E-DV system will result in disqualification of the principal applicant and refusal of all visas in the case at the time of the visa interview.
A digital photograph (image) of you, your spouse, and each child must be submitted on-line with the E-DV Entry Form. The image file can be produced either by taking a new digital photograph or by scanning a photographic print with a digital scanner.
Entries are subject to disqualification and visa refusal for cases in which the photographs are not recent or have been manipulated or fail to meet the specifications explained below.

The image file must adhere to the following compositional and technical specifications and can be produced in one of the following ways: taking a new digital image or using a digital scanner to scan a photograph. Entrants may test their photos for suitability through the photo validator link on the e-DV website before submitting their entries. The photo validator provides additional technical advice on photo composition, along with examples of acceptable and unacceptable photos. Compositional Specifications: The submitted digital image must conform to the following compositional specifications or the entry will be disqualified.
Head Position
o The person being photographed must directly face the camera.
o The head of the person should not be tilted up, down, or to the side.
o The head of the person should cover about 50% of the area of the photograph.

Background
o The person being photographed should be taken with the person in front of a neutral, light-colored background.
o Dark or patterned backgrounds are not acceptable.

Focus
o The photograph must be in focus.

Decorative Items
o Photographs in which the person being photographed is wearing sunglasses or other items that detract from the face will not be accepted.

Head Coverings and Hats
o Photos of applicants wearing head coverings or hats are only acceptable if the head covering is worn for religious beliefs; and even then, the head covering may not obscure any portion of the face of the applicant. Photographs of applicants with tribal or other headgear not specifically religious in nature will not be accepted; photographs of military, airline, or other personnel wearing hats will not be accepted. Color photographs in 24-bit color depth are required. Photographs may be downloaded from a camera to a file in the computer, or they may be scanned to a file in the computer. If you are using a scanner, the settings must be for True Color or 24-bit color mode. Color photographs must be scanned at this setting for the requirements of the DV program. See the additional scanning requirements below.

Technical Specifications
The submitted digital photograph must conform to the following specifications or the system will automatically reject the E-DV Entry Form and notify the sender.
Taking a New Digital Image. If a new digital image is taken, it must meet the following specifications: The image must be in the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format. The maximum image file size is 240 kilobytes (240 KB). 600 pixels high by 600 pixels wide. 24-bit color [Note: Color photographs are required. Black and white, monochrome images (2-bit color depth), 8-bit color, or 8-bit grayscale will not be accepted.]
Scanning a Submitted Photograph. Before a photographic print is scanned, it must meet the compositional specifications listed above. If the photographic print meets the print color and compositional specifications, scan the print using the following scanner specifications: Scanned at a resolution of at least 150 dots per inch (dpi). The image must be in the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format. The maximum image file size is 240 kilobytes (240 KB). 600 by 600 pixels. 24-bit color. [Note that black and white, monochrome, or grayscale images will not be accepted.]