The Diversity Visa Lottery registration period for 2013 is officially called the DV-2015. During this period of time, immigrants will be given the opportunity to enter into the Green Card Lottery.
Green Cards are United States immigration documents that allow their holders the right to live, work and study within the country. Green Cards are also necessary for the citizenship application.
The DV-2015 Dates, that is the relevant dates for registration, are uncertain at the moment. The State Department requires confirmation from Congress in order to initiate the program and as Congress has not authorized the lottery yet, the dates remain unknown.
However, it is highly unusual for the Diversity Visa Lottery program to not be authorized. It is likely that the announcement has simply been delayed.
Previous years may serve as a source of estimation for DV-2015 dates.
The registration period should begin sometime in early October of 2013 and end in early November of 2013. No other applications will be accepted outside of this time-frame for registration in the Green Card Lottery.
On May 1, 2014, the winners of the Green Card Lottery will be announced and registrants can enter their registration numbers into the State Department’s website.
When checking the State Department’s website, applicants will be given another number, which will be used to track one’s place in the Visa Bulletin.
The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin is a document that is released monthly and announces which petitioners and applicants of immigration visas can now actually apply for their visas.
Green Card Lottery winners can apply for their Green Cards when their number come up in the Visa Bulletin sometime between summer of 2014 and December of 2015. However, it is a good idea to apply for the actual visa sooner than later.