Archive photo via Nowy Dziennik

Poles will be able to participate in the immigration visa lottery which begins Oct. 2 for the second time in a row, the daily Nowy Dziennik reported. But other countries weren’t as lucky, including Guatemala. The article was translated from Polish.

Starting on Oct. 2 individuals from many countries of the world can submit their applications for the visa lottery DV-2014. Just like last year, Poles are able to participate in the lottery, whose results will be announced on May 1, 2013.

The winners, however, won’t receive their green cards before Oct. 1, 2013, which marks the beginning of 2014 fiscal year.

According to the Department of State the application process will start on Oct. 2 and will last for a month until Nov. 3. Entries may be submitted only via the Internet. The link to the electronic application will be activated on the Department of State website (www.dvlottery.state.gov) at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 2.

Although, when the entry is submitted has no influence on the chances of being drawn in the lottery, the organizers of DV-2014 are encouraging applicants to submit their forms as soon as they can to avoid the State Department website’s congestion towards the end of the application period, when a larger number of people usually decides to submit their entries.

After submission, applicants should hold on to their identification number, which will be automatically assigned to them by the computer. The number will come in handy later when checking the results of the lottery. The State Department won’t notify winners individually. Instruction on how to fill out the DV entry form can be found at  http://travel.state.gov/pdf/DV_2014_Instructions.pdf.

Each year, 50,000 green cards are distributed through the DV program to citizens in different regions of the world.  Some 8 to 15 million people annually have submitted entries to the visa lotteries in recent years. Such high numbers dim the chances of becoming a winner. What is more, citizens of each country can’t use more than 5 percent of green cards allotted in the DV lottery. That is why, in the last edition of the visa lottery, the computer drew 2,000 out of 86,000 entries submitted by the Poles.

Last year was the first time since 2004, when Poles were included in the visa lottery. Poles return to the DV lottery proves that the legal immigration from Poland to the U.S. is shrinking.

According to the law, the DV lottery program excludes citizens of countries which in the last five years have received more than 50,000 green cards based on family sponsorship or through work. The “black list of overrepresented countries” usually contains over a dozen countries, such as Mexico, Great Britain and China. This year, for example, the Guatemalans dropped out of the DV lottery program.

For years, the requirements have been: high school education or two years of work experience obtained in the last five years and in a field requiring a two year training, as well as a clear criminal record.

The entries for the lottery may also be submitted by individuals, who are currently residing in the United States, although those without legal status in the U.S. may come across difficulties in later stages of the lottery and thus should consult their lawyers prior to submitting their entries.

Starting on Oct. 1, the Department of State will start granting green cards from last year’s lottery winners.

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