The Department of State has released instructions for the 2013 Diversity Visa Lottery (DV-2013). The 2013 lottery will enable 50,000 individuals and certain family members to immigrate to the United States from a pre-selected list of countries whose rates of immigration to the U.S. tend to be low.

The lottery offers a rare opportunity for qualified applicants to immigrate to the United States based on their education and/or work or related experience without the need for a family member or employer sponsor in the U.S. Electronic entries for the 2013 lottery will be accepted between noon (EDT) on October 4, 2011 and noon (EDT) on November 5, 2011.

Entrants may verify their status and whether they have been selected starting in May 2012, and all green cards available through the DV-2013 Lottery must be issued by September 30, 2013. We want to alert you to resources on the Diversity Visa Lottery