DV 2017 Program or Green Card Lottery registration period from October 01, 2015 to November 03, 2015. Период регистрации в лотерею грин карт на 2017 год с 1 октября по 3 ноября 2015.

DV-2017 Program: Online Registration DV 2017 Program begins on Thursday, October 1, 2015 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and concludes on Tuesday, November 3, 2015 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-4).

DV-2017 lottery entries can be submitted online at only one official US Department of State website.

On September 30th 2015, US Department of State published the official DV-2017 Program Instructions in English - DV-2017 Program Instructions in PDF format. The English language version of the DV-2017 Program Instructions is the only official version. 

Unofficial translations in additional languages will be added as they become available.

Note: If you do not see instructions in your native language, please see the U.S. Embassy or Consulate website to find out whether your country may have additional Diversity Visa information.

You can find official US Department of State DV-2017 lottery instructions here: http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/diversity-visa/instructions.html

For DV-2017, 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 (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam. 

Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible. 



I would like to highlight several important requirements:

12. Highest level of education you have achieved, as of today: (1) Primary school only, (2) Some high school, no diploma, (3) High school diploma, (4) Vocational school, (5) Some university courses, (6) University degree, (7) Some graduate-level courses, (8) Master’s degree, (9) Some doctoral level courses, and (10) Doctorate. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about educational requirements. 

13. Current marital status – Unmarried, married and my spouse is NOT a U.S. citizen or U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR), married and my spouse IS a U.S. citizen or U.S. LPR, divorced, widowed, or legally separated. Enter the name, date of birth, gender, city/town of birth, and country of birth of your spouse, and a photograph of your spouse meeting the same technical specifications as your photo. Failure to list your eligible spouse will result in your disqualification as the Diversity Visa principal applicant and refusal of all visa applications in your case at the time of the visa interview. You must list your spouse even if you plan to be divorced before you apply for a visa. A spouse who is already a U.S. citizen or LPR will not require or be issued a visa, though you will not be penalized if you list them on your entry form. See the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about family members. 

14. Number of children – List the name, date of birth, gender, city/town of birth, and country of birth for all living unmarried children under 21 years of age, regardless of whether they are living with you or intend to accompany or follow to join you, should you immigrate to the United States. Submit individual photographs of each of your children using the same technical specifications as your own photograph. 

Be sure to include: 
*all living natural children;  
*all living children legally adopted by you; and, 
*all living step-children who are unmarried and under the age of 21 on the date of your electronic entry, even if you are no longer legally married to the child’s parent, and even if the child does not currently reside with you and/or will not immigrate with you. 

Married children and children who are already aged 21 or older when you submit your entry are not eligible for the DV program. However, the Child Status Protection Act protects children from “aging out” in certain circumstances. If your DV entry is made before your unmarried child turns 21, and the child turns 21 before visa issuance, he/she may be treated as though he/she were under 21 for visa-processing purposes. 

A child who is already a U.S. citizen or LPR is not eligible for a Diversity Visa; you will not be penalized for either including or omitting such family members from your entry. Failure to list all children who are eligible will result in disqualification of the principal applicant and refusal of all visa applications in the case at the time of the visa interview. 

After May 01, 2016, you will be able to check your status online at another US Department of State website to see if you have been selected a winner.

We would be glad to help you to submit your DV-2017 entries properly and timely. After submitting an entry, we always save and forward to our clients confirmation pages. Please email us first and we will forward to you our brief instructions.

In Russian:

Сегодня Госдеп США наконец-то опубликовал официальные инструкции для подачи заявок в Лотерею Грин Карт на 2017 год. Прием заявок осуществляется онлайн только на одномофициальном вебсайте Госдепа США.

Подача заявок через какие-то другие вебсайты не допускается. Таких "неофициальных, но выглядящих вполне легитимно" вебсайтов множество, и они выдают себя за организации как-то связанные с Госдепом, и прикрываются официальными эмблемами США, но это обычное мошенничество.

Если вам помогает адвокат или другой профессионал правильно подать заявку в лотерею, после подачи заявки они должны предоставить вам конфирмационный номер, а еще лучше сохранить и выслать по электронной почте саму конфирмационную страницу с номером и вашей биографической информацией. 

Повторные заявки в течение одного периода подачи не допускаются. Ошибки не исправить после подачи заявки. Требования к фото строгие.

Начало приема заявок 01 октября 2015, и заканчивается подача заявок 03 ноября 2015.

Вы сможете узнать выбрали ли вас победителем только после 01 мая 2016, когда на особом вебсайте Госдепа США вы сможете ввести свои данные и получить ответ на вопрос: являетесь ли вы победителем.

Затем, вы перейдете на следующий этап: подача заявления на визу для себя и членов вашей семьи. На этом этапе рекомендуется пользоваться услугами квалифицированного американского иммиграционного адвоката, чтобы избежать ошибок или отказа из-за "глупости". Кстати, очень частоотказывают в грин картах по лотерее именно из-за "глупостей", которые не прощаются (например, "забыл" указать ребенка жены от первого брака, решил не указывать новорожденного ребенка рожденного вне брака "как же его сфотографируешь?" и т.п.). Поэтому может быть полезна помощь адвоката и при подаче заявки в лотерею.

Если вам нужна помощь, мы будем рады помочь правильно подать заявки на всех членов семьи, и позже с получением грин карты если вас выбрали победителем лотереи. Обращайтесь к нам по электронной почте, и мы вам вышлем список попросов и условия оплаты.

How to expedite renewal of your expired U.S. passport.

You've been asked to travel to a foreign country on business the next day, but your passport has expired. Don't panic.

It's surprisingly easy to get a US passport renewed in 24 hours.

Here's how.

The Expedited Fee is required for each application submitted in person at a Passport Agency or Center. Some Passport Agencies and Centers require proof of international travel within two weeks, or proof of need to obtain a foreign visa within four weeks. Check the individual agency/center pages for additional details.

An appointment is required to apply at a Passport Agency or Center. Call the National Passport Information Center 24/7 at 1-877-487-2778 to schedule an appointment.

1. Find the closest Passport Agency to you. Don't make the mistake of using special, non-government agencies that charge up to $500, and ultimately just go through the Passport Agency. Not near an agency? Check whether there’s a Passport Acceptance Facility nearby, or call the National Passport Information Center to see what else can be done.
2. Have imminent travel plans and be able to prove it. Most (though not all) agencies will need proof that your trip is scheduled within two weeks in order to make an appointment, or that you need to submit your passport for a visa within 28 days.
3. Call to make an appointment, or just walk in to the agency, but be ready to wait in long lines with a number, DMV style.
4. If your passport was lost, have a copy of your birth certificate with you. In some cases, an iPhone photo of it will suffice.
5. Bring a new passport-size photo with you to the agency. Surprisingly, passport agencies will not have an area in which to do this.
6. Fill out the DS-11 application for a U.S. passport, or the DS-82 to renew it.
7. Be ready to pay a $60 expediting fee, as well as the standard $135  application fee for a new passport, or $110 if you're renewing an expired one.
8. Wait. It will will take around three to five hours to actually make a passport, so take that into consideration when making your appointment. You can either sit tight at the agency, or leave and come back — they will give you an estimated window of time they're expecting your passport to be ready.
9. Pick up your passport. as seen at http://www.businessinsider.com/

List of Passport Agencies. 

New Redesigned ESTA Website for Visa Waiver Program Visitors VWP.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection launched today the redesigned website for Visa Waiver Program (VWP) visitors to apply for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) prior to traveling to the United States. The new website makes the process of applying for an ESTA more user-friendly and will improve and better facilitate the experience for VWP travelers wishing to visit the United States. 

Some of the new and updated features include:

• Access to frequently asked questions at any time during the application process.
• Mobile-friendly design allows VWP visitors to apply and check the status of their ESTA using their smartphones.
• Users will be able to translate the page into a different language at any point in the application by choosing one of the 23 languages in the language selector.
• The Group feature has been moved to the beginning of the application process making it easier for families and groups to submit their applications at once.

VWP visitors who have already applied for an ESTA using the old site will be able to access their ESTA on the new site. Travelers with a valid ESTA will not have to reapply for a new ESTA until their current ESTA expires or they receive a new passport.

CBP reminds VWP visitors that ESTA applications can only be submitted through the official website. ESTA is not affiliated with any third-party sites. CBP recommends ESTA applications be submitted as soon as an applicant begins making travel plans.

The VWP enables nationals of 38 designated countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business purposes for stays of 90 days or less without first obtaining a visa. All nationals or citizens of VWP countries are required to have an approved ESTA prior to boarding a carrier to travel by air or sea to the United States under the VWP. ESTA applications should be submitted at least 72 hours before travel, and once approved, will generally be valid for up to two years or until the applicant’s passport expires, whichever comes first. Authorizations will be valid for multiple entries into the United States.

New redesigned VWP ESTA website at: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

USCIS Announces Revised Procedures for Determining Visa Availability for Applicants Filing for Adjustment of Status, I-485. Two Charts in Monthly DOS Visa Bulletin.

On September 09 2015, USCIS Announces Revised Procedures for Determining Visa Availability for Applicants Waiting to File for Adjustment of Status.

USCIS, in coordination with Department of State (DOS), is revising the procedures for determining visa availability for applicants waiting to file for employment-based or family-sponsored preference adjustment of status. The revised process will better connect USCIS procedures with the US Department of State (DOS) procedures, which are used for foreign nationals who seek to become U.S. permanent residents by applying for immigrant visas at U.S. consulates and embassies abroad.

The Visa Bulletin revisions implement November 2014 executive actions on immigration announced by President Obama and Secretary of Homeland Security Johnson, as detailed in the White House report, Modernizing and Streamlining Our Legal Immigration System for the 21st century, issued in July 2015. 

What is Changing.

Two charts per visa preference category will be posted in the DOS Visa Bulletin:

• Application Final Action Dates (dates when visas may finally be issued); and
• Dates for Filing Applications (earliest dates when applicants may be able to apply).

Each month, in coordination with DOS, USCIS will monitor visa numbers and post the relevant DOS Visa Bulletin chart. Applicants can use the charts to determine when to file their Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.

To determine whether additional visas are available, USCIS will compare the number of visas available for the remainder of the fiscal year with:

• Documentarily qualified visa applicants reported by DOS;
• Pending adjustment of status applications reported by USCIS; and
• Historical drop off rate (for example, denials, withdrawals, abandonments).

DOS publishes current immigrant visa availability information in a monthly Visa Bulletin. 

See here. 

New L-1B Specialized Knowledge Intracompany Transferee Memo - August 17, 2015.

A new USCIS August 17 2015 L-1B policy memorandum issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), provides guidance on the adjudication of the L-1B classification, which permits multinational companies to transfer employees who possess "specialized knowledge" from their foreign operations to their operations in the United States. It provides consolidated and authoritative guidance on the L-1B program, superseding and rescinding certain prior L-1B memoranda. Some practitioners expressed concerns that the memo still gives adjudicators broad discretion to issue requests for evidence (RFEs) and denials.

The memo notes the following "non-exhaustive" list of factors USCIS may consider when determining whether a beneficiary’s knowledge is specialized:

• The beneficiary possesses knowledge of foreign operating conditions that is of significant value to the petitioning organization's U.S. operations.
• The beneficiary has been employed abroad in a capacity involving assignments that have significantly enhanced the employer's productivity, competitiveness, image, or financial position.
• The beneficiary's claimed specialized knowledge normally can be gained only through prior experience with the petitioning organization.
• The beneficiary possesses knowledge of a product or process that cannot be easily transferred or taught to another individual without significant economic cost or inconvenience (because, for example, such knowledge may require substantial training, work experience, or education).
• The beneficiary has knowledge of a process or a product that either is sophisticated or complex, or of a highly technical nature, although not necessarily unique to the petitioning organization.
• The beneficiary possesses knowledge that is particularly beneficial to the petitioning organization's competitiveness in the marketplace.

>>Specialized knowledge generally cannot be commonly held, lacking in complexity, or easily imparted to other individuals. 

>>Specialized knowledge need not be proprietary or unique to the petitioning organization. 

>>The L-1B classification does not involve a test of the U.S. labor market.

>>Specialized knowledge workers need not occupy managerial or similar positions or command higher compensation than their peers.

See August 17, 2015 memo at http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Laws/Memoranda/2015/L-1B_Memorandum_8_14_15_draft_for_FINAL_4pmAPPROVED.pdf