[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 166 (Wednesday, August 27, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51627-51632]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-21908]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 4458]


Bureau of Consular Affairs; Registration for the Diversity 
Immigrant (DV-2005) Visa Program

ACTION: Notice of registration for the Diversity Immigrant Visa 
Program.

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    This public notice provides information on how to apply for the DV 
2005 Program. This notice is issued pursuant to 22 CFR 42.33(b)(3) 
which implements sections 201(a)(3), 201(e), 203(c) and 204(a)(1)(G) of 
the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, (8 U.S.C. 1151, 1153, 
and 1154(a)(1)(G)).

Instructions for the 2005 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2005)

    The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is 
administered on an annual basis by the Department of State and 
conducted under the terms of Section 203(c) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (INA). Section 131 of the Immigration Act of 1990 (Pub. 
L. 101-649) amended INA 203 to provide for a new class of immigrants 
known as ``diversity immigrants'' (DV immigrants). The Act makes 
available 50,000 permanent resident visas annually to persons from 
countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
    The annual DV program makes permanent residence visas available to 
persons meeting the simple, but strict, eligibility requirements. 
Applicants for Diversity Visas are chosen by a computer-generated 
random lottery drawing. The visas, however, are distributed among six 
geographic regions with a greater number of visas going to regions with 
lower rates of immigration, and with no visas going to citizens of 
countries sending more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the past 
five years. Within each region, no one country may receive more than 
seven percent of the available Diversity Visas in any one year.
    For DV-2005, natives of the following countries are not eligible to 
apply because they sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the 
U.S. in the previous five years (the term ``country'' in this notice 
includes countries, economies and other jurisdictions explicitly listed 
beginning on page 15).

Canada, China (mainland-born),
Colombia, Dominican Republic,
El Salvador, Haiti, India,
Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan,
Philippines, Russia, 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

Application Submission Dates

    Entries for the DV-2005 Diversity Visa Lottery must be submitted 
electronically between Saturday, November 1, 2003 and Tuesday, December 
30, 2003. Applicants may access the electronic Diversity Visa entry 
form at www.dvlottery.state.gov during the 60-day registration period 
beginning November 1. Paper entries will not be accepted.

Requirements For Entry

    [sbull] Applicant must be a native of one of the countries listed 
beginning on page 10. See ``List of Countries by Region Whose Natives 
Qualify.''
    Native of a country whose natives qualify: In most cases this means 
the country in which the applicant was born. However, if a person was 
born in a country whose natives are ineligible but his or her spouse 
was born in a country whose natives are eligible, such person can claim 
the spouse's country of birth providing both the applicant and spouse 
are issued visas and enter the U.S. simultaneously. If a person was 
born in a country whose natives are ineligible, but neither of his or 
her parents was born there or resided there at the time of the birth, 
such person may be able to claim nativity in the country of birth of 
one of the parents.
    [sbull] Applicants must meet either the education or training 
requirement of the DV program.
    Education or Training: An applicant 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. Applicants will also find a link to a Labor 
Department list of qualifying occupations at the Consular Affairs Web 
site: http://www.travel.state.gov.
    If the applicant cannot meet these requirements, he or she should 
NOT submit an entry to the DV program.

Procedures for Submitting an Entry to DV-2005

    [sbull] All entries by an applicant will be disqualified if more 
than ONE entry for the applicant is received, regardless of who 
submitted the entry. Applicants may prepare and submit their own 
entries, or have someone submit the entry for them.
    [sbull] For the DV-2005 Program, the Department of State for the 
first time will only accept completed Electronic Diversity Visa Entry 
Forms submitted electronically at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov during 
a lengthened 60 day registration period beginning November 1, 2003.

[[Page 51628]]

    [sbull] Also for the first time, the Department of State will send 
DV lottery entrants an electronic confirmation notice upon receipt of a 
completed EDV Entry Form.
    [sbull] The entry will be disqualified if all required photos are 
not attached. Recent photographs of the applicant and his or her spouse 
and each child under 21 years of age, including all natural children as 
well as all legally-adopted and stepchildren, excepting a child who is 
already a U.S. citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident, even if a child 
no longer resides with the applicant or is not intended to immigrate 
under the DV program, must be submitted electronically with the 
Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form. Group or family photos will not 
be accepted; there must be a separate photo for each family member.
    Each applicant, his/her spouse, and each child will therefore need 
a computer file containing his/her digital photo (image) which will be 
submitted on-line with the EDV 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.
    If the submitted digital images do not conform to the following 
specifications, the system will automatically reject the EDV Entry Form 
and notify the sender.
    [sbull] The image must be in the Joint Photographic Experts Group 
(JPEG) format.
    [sbull] The image must be either in color or grayscale; monochrome 
images (2-bit color depth) will not be accepted.
    [sbull] If a new digital photograph is taken, it must have a 
resolution of 320 pixels wide by 240 pixels high, and a color depth of 
either 24-bit color, 8-bit color, or 8-bit grayscale.
    [sbull] If a photographic print is scanned, the print must be 2 
inches by 2 inches (50mm x 50mm) square. It must be scanned at a 
resolution of 150 dots per inch (dpi) and with a color depth of either 
24-bit color, 8-bit color, or 8-bit grayscale.
    [sbull] The maximum image size accepted will be sixty-two thousand 
five hundred (62,500) bytes.
    If the submitted digital images do not conform to the following 
specifications, the entry will be disqualified:
    [sbull] Applicant, spouse, or child must be directly facing the 
camera; the head of the person being photographed should not be tilted 
up, down or to the side, and should cover about 50% of the area of the 
photo.
    [sbull] The photo should be taken with the person being 
photographed in front of a neutral, light-colored background. Photos 
taken with very dark or patterned, busy backgrounds will not be 
accepted.
    [sbull] Photos in which the face of the person being photographed 
is not in focus will not be accepted.
    [sbull] Photos in which the person being photographed is wearing 
sunglasses or other paraphernalia which detracts from the face will not 
be accepted.
    [sbull] Photos of applicants wearing head coverings or hats are 
only acceptable due to religious beliefs, and even then, may not 
obscure any portion of the face of the applicant. Photos of applicants 
with tribal or other headgear not specifically religious in nature are 
not acceptable. Photos of military, airline or other personnel wearing 
hats will not be accepted.

Information Required for the Electronic Entry

    There is only one way to enter the DV-2005 lottery. Applicants must 
submit an Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form (EDV Entry Form), which 
is accessible only at www.dvlottery.state.gov. Failure to complete the 
form in its entirety will disqualify the applicant's entry. Applicants 
will be asked to submit the following information on the EDV Entry 
Form.
    1. FULL NAME, Last/Family Name, First Name, Middle name.
    2. DATE OF BIRTH, Day, Month, Year.
    3. GENDER, Male or Female.
    4. CITY/TOWN OF BIRTH.
    5. COUNTRY OF BIRTH, The name of the country should be that which 
is currently in use for the place where the applicant was born.
    6. APPLICANT PHOTOGRAPH, (See pages 3 and 4 for information on 
photo specifications).
    7. MAILING ADDRESS, Address, City/Town, District/Country/Province/
State, Postal. Code/Zip Code, Country.
    8. PHONE NUMBER (optional).
    9. E-MAIL ADDRESS (optional).
    10. COUNTRY OF ELIGIBILITY IF THE APPLICANT'S NATIVE COUNTRY IS 
DIFFERENT FROM COUNTRY OF BIRTH, If the applicant is claiming nativity 
in a country other than his or her place of birth, that information 
must be submitted on the entry. If an applicant is claiming nativity 
through spouse or parent, please indicate that on the entry.
    11. MARRIAGE STATUS, Yes or No.
    12. NUMBER OF CHILDREN THAT ARE UNMARRIED AND UNDER 21 YEARS OF 
AGE.
    13. SPOUSE INFORMATION, Name, Date of Birth, Gender, City/Town of 
Birth, Country of Birth, Photograph.
    14. CHILDREN INFORMATION, Name, Date of Birth, Gender, City/Town of 
Birth, Country of Birth, Photograph.

    Note: Entries must include the name, date and place of birth of 
the applicant's spouse and all natural children, as well as all 
legally-adopted and stepchildren who are unmarried and under the age 
of 21 years, excepting those children who are already U.S. citizens 
or legal permanent residents, even if they are no longer legally 
married to the child's parent, and even if the spouse or child does 
not currently reside with the applicant and/or will not immigrate 
with the applicant. Note that married children and children 21 years 
or older will not qualify for the diversity visa. Failure to list 
all children will result in the applicant's disqualification for the 
visa. (See question 11 on the list of Frequently Asked Questions.)

Selection of Applicants

    Applicants will be selected at random by computer from among all 
qualified entries. Those selected will be notified by mail between May 
and July 2004 and will be provided further instructions, including 
information on fees connected with immigration to the U.S.
    Persons not selected will not receive any notification. U.S. 
embassies and consulates will not be able to provide a list of 
successful applicants. Spouses and unmarried children under age 21 of 
successful applicants may also apply for visas to accompany or follow 
to join the principal applicant. DV-2005 visas will be issued between 
October 1, 2004 and September 30, 2005.
    In order to actually receive a visa, applicants selected in the 
random drawing must meet all eligibility requirements under U.S. law. 
Processing of entries and issuance of diversity visas to successful 
applicants and their eligible family members must occur by midnight on 
September 30, 2005. Under no circumstances can diversity visas be 
issued or adjustments approved after this date, nor can family members 
obtain diversity visas to follow to join the applicant in the U.S. 
after this date.

Important Notice

    No fee is charged to enter the annual DV program. The U.S. 
Government employs no outside consultants or private services to 
operate the DV program. Any intermediaries or others who offer 
assistance to prepare DV casework for applicants do so without the 
authority or consent of the U.S. Government. Use of any outside 
intermediary or assistance to prepare a DV entry is entirely at the 
applicant's discretion.
    A qualified entry submitted electronically directly by an applicant 
has an equal chance of being selected by the computer at the Kentucky 
Consular

[[Page 51629]]

Center, as does an entry submitted electronically through a paid 
intermediary who completes the entry for the applicant. Every entry 
received during the lottery registration period will have an equal 
random chance of being selected within its region. However, receipt of 
more than one entry per person will disqualify the person from 
registration, regardless of the source of that entry.

Frequently Asked Questions About DV Registration

    1. What does the term ``native'' mean? Are there any situations in 
which persons who were not born in a qualifying country may apply?
    ``Native'' ordinarily means someone born in a particular country, 
regardless of the individual's current country of residence or 
nationality. But for immigration purposes ``native'' can also mean 
someone who is entitled to be ``charged'' to a country other than the 
one in which he or she was born under the provisions of Section 202(b) 
of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
    For example, if a principal applicant was born in a country that is 
not eligible for this year's DV program, he or she may claim 
``chargeability'' to the country where his or her derivative spouse was 
born, but he or she will not be issued a DV-1 unless the spouse is also 
eligible for and issued a DV-2, and both must enter the U.S. together 
on the DVs. In a similar manner, a minor dependent child can be 
``charged'' to a parent's country of birth.
    Finally, any applicant born in a country ineligible for this year's 
DV program can be ``charged'' to the country of birth of either parent 
as long as neither parent was a resident of the ineligible country at 
the time of the applicant's birth. In general, people are not 
considered residents of a country in which they were not born or 
legally naturalized if they are only visiting the country temporarily 
or stationed in the country for business or professional reasons on 
behalf of a company or government. An applicant who claims alternate 
chargeability must include information to that effect on the 
application for registration.
    2. Are there any changes or new requirements in the application 
procedures for this diversity visa registration?
    All DV-2005 lottery entries must be submitted electronically at 
www.dvlottery.state.gov between Saturday, November 1, 2003 and Tuesday, 
December 30, 2003. No paper entries will be accepted.
    The Department of State implemented an electronic registration 
system in order to make the Diversity Visa process more efficient and 
secure. The Department will utilize special technology and other means 
to identify applicants who commit fraud for the purposes of illegal 
immigration or who submit multiple applications.
    The signature requirement on the DV entry has been eliminated and 
the DV-2005 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program registration period will 
run from November 1 through December 30. The other major change from 
last year is that natives of Russia will not be eligible to apply for a 
diversity visa. (Please see Question 4 below for a description of why 
natives of certain countries do not qualify for the DV Program.)
    3. Are signatures and photographs required for each family member, 
or only for the principal applicant?
    Signatures are not required on the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry 
Form. Recent and individual photos of the applicant, his or her spouse 
and all children under 21 years of age are required. Family or group 
photos are not accepted. Check the information on the photo 
requirements on page 2 of this bulletin.
    4. Why do natives of certain countries not qualify for the 
diversity program?
    Diversity visas are intended to provide an immigration opportunity 
for persons from countries other than the countries that send large 
numbers of immigrants to the U.S. The law states that no diversity 
visas shall be provided for natives of ``high admission'' countries. 
The law defines this to mean countries from which a total of 50,000 
persons in the Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based visa categories 
immigrated to the United States during the previous five years. Each 
year, the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) adds 
the family and employment immigrant admission figures for the previous 
five years in order to identify the countries whose natives must be 
excluded from the annual diversity lottery. Because there is a separate 
determination made before each annual DV entry period, the list of 
countries whose natives do not qualify may change from one year to the 
next.
    5. What is the numerical limit for DV-2005?
    By law, the U.S. diversity immigration program makes available a 
maximum of 55,000 permanent residence visas each year to eligible 
persons. However, the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief 
Act (NACARA) passed by Congress in November 1997 stipulates that 
beginning as early as DV-99, and for as long as necessary, 5,000 of the 
55,000 annually-allocated diversity visas will be made available for 
use under the NACARA program. The actual reduction of the limit to 
50,000 began with DV-2000 and remains in effect for the DV-2005 
program.
    6. What are the Regional Diversity Visa (DV) limits for DV-2005?
    The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) 
determines the DV regional limits for each year according to a formula 
specified in Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(INA). Once the BCIS has completed the calculations, the regional visa 
limits will be announced.
    7. When will entries for the DV-2005 program be accepted?
    The DV-2005 entry period will begin on Saturday, November 1, 2003 
and will last for 60 days through Tuesday, December 30, 2003. Each year 
millions apply for the program during the registration period. The 
massive volume of entries creates an enormous amount of work in 
selecting and processing successful applicants. Holding the entry 
period during November and December will ensure successful applicants 
are notified in a timely manner, and gives both them and our embassies 
and consulates time to prepare and complete entries for visa issuance.
    8. May persons who are in the U.S. apply for the program?
    Yes, an applicant may be in the U.S. or in another country, and the 
entry may be submitted from the U.S. or from abroad.
    9. Is each applicant limited to only one entry during the annual DV 
registration period?
    Yes, the law allows only one entry by or for each person during 
each registration period; applicants for whom more than one entry is 
submitted will be disqualified. The Department of State will employ 
sophisticated technology and other means to identify individuals that 
submit multiple entries during the registration period. Applicants 
submitting more than one entry will be disqualified and an electronic 
record will be permanently maintained by the Department of State. 
Applicants may apply for the program each year during the regular 
registration period.
    10. May a husband and a wife each submit a separate entry?
    Yes, a husband and a wife may each submit one entry, if each meets 
the eligibility requirements. If either were selected, the other would 
be entitled to derivative status.
    11. What family members must I include on my DV entry?
    On your entry you must list your spouse, that is, husband or wife, 
and all unmarried children under 21 years of age, with the exception of 
a child who

[[Page 51630]]

is already a U.S. citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident. You must list 
your spouse even if you are currently separated from him or her. 
However, if you are legally divorced, you do not need to list your 
former spouse. For customary marriages, the important date is the date 
of the original marriage ceremony, not the date on which the marriage 
is registered. You must list ALL your children who are unmarried and 
under the age of 21 years, whether they are your natural children, your 
spouse's children by a previous marriage, or children you have formally 
adopted in accordance with the laws of your country, unless a child is 
already a U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Resident. List all children 
under 21 years of age even if they no longer reside with you or you do 
not intend for them to immigrate under the DV program.
    The fact that you have listed family members on your entry does not 
mean that they later must travel with you. They may choose to remain 
behind. However, if you include an eligible dependent on your visa 
application forms that you failed to include on your original entry, 
your case will be disqualified. (This only applies to persons who were 
dependents at the time the original application was submitted, not 
those acquired at a later date.) Your spouse may still submit a 
separate entry, even though he or she is listed on your entry, as long 
as both entries include details on all dependents in your family. See 
question 10 above.
    12. Must each applicant submit his or her own entry, or may someone 
act on behalf of an applicant?
    Applicants may prepare and submit their own entries, or have 
someone submit the entry for them. Regardless of whether an entry is 
submitted by the applicant directly, or assistance is provided by an 
attorney, friend, relative, etc., only one entry may be submitted in 
the name of each person. If the entry is selected, the notification 
letter will be sent only to the mailing address provided on the entry.
    13. What are the requirements for education or work experience?
    The law and regulations require that every applicant must have at 
least a high school education or its equivalent or, within the past 
five years, have two years of work experience in an occupation 
requiring at least two years training or experience. A ``high school 
education or equivalent'' is defined as successful completion of a 
twelve-year course of elementary and secondary education in the United 
States or successful completion in another country of a formal course 
of elementary and secondary education comparable to a high school 
education in the United States. Documentary proof of education or work 
experience should not be submitted with the lottery entry, but must be 
presented to the consular officer at the time of the visa interview. To 
determine eligibility based on work experience, definitions from the 
Department of Labor's O*Net OnLine database will be used.
    14. How will successful entrants be selected?
    At the Kentucky Consular Center, all entries received from each 
region will be individually numbered. After the end of the registration 
period, a computer will randomly select entries from among all the 
entries received for each geographic region. Within each region, the 
first entry randomly selected will be the first case registered, the 
second entry selected the second registration, etc. All entries 
received during the registration period will have an equal chance of 
being selected within each region. When an entry has been selected, the 
applicant will be sent a notification letter by the Kentucky Consular 
Center, which will provide visa application instructions. The Kentucky 
Consular Center will continue to process the case until those who are 
selected are instructed to appear for visa interviews at a U.S. 
consular office, or until those able to do so apply at a BCIS office in 
the United States for change of status.
    15. May winning applicants adjust their status with BCIS?
    Yes, provided they are otherwise eligible to adjust status under 
the terms of Section 245 of the INA, selected applicants who are 
physically present in the United States may apply to the Bureau of 
Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) for adjustment of status to 
permanent resident. Applicants must ensure that BCIS can complete 
action on their cases, including processing of any overseas 
derivatives, before September 30, 2005, since on that date 
registrations for the DV-2005 program expire. No visa numbers for the 
DV-2005 program will be available after midnight on September 30, 2005 
under any circumstances.
    16. Will applicants who are not selected be informed?
    No, applicants who are not selected will receive no response to 
their entry. Only those who are selected will be informed. All 
notification letters are sent within about nine months of the end of 
the application period to the address indicated on the entry. Anyone 
who does not receive a letter will know that his or her application has 
not been selected.
    17. How many applicants will be selected?
    There are 50,000 DV visas available for DV-2005, but more than that 
number of individuals will be selected. Because it is likely that some 
of the first 50,000 persons who are selected will not qualify for visas 
or pursue their cases to visa issuance, more than 50,000 entries will 
be selected by the Kentucky Consular Center to ensure that all of the 
available DV visas are issued. However, this also means that there will 
not be a sufficient number of visas for all those who are initially 
selected. All applicants who are selected will be informed promptly of 
their place on the list. Interviews with those selected will begin in 
early October 2004. The Kentucky Consular Center will send appointment 
letters to selected applicants four to six weeks before the scheduled 
interviews with U.S. consular officers at overseas posts. Each month 
visas will be issued, visa number availability permitting, to those 
applicants who are ready for issuance during that month. Once all of 
the 50,000 DV visas have been issued, the program for the year will 
end. In principle, visa numbers could be finished before September 
2005. Selected applicants who wish to receive visas must be prepared to 
act promptly on their cases. Random selection by the Kentucky Consular 
Center computer does not automatically guarantee that you will receive 
a visa.
    18. Is there a minimum age for applicants to apply for the DV 
Program?
    There is no minimum age to apply for the program, but the 
requirement of a high school education or work experience for each 
principal applicant at the time of application will effectively 
disqualify most persons who are under age 18.
    19. Are there any fees for the DV Program?
    There is no fee for submitting an entry. A special DV case 
processing fee will be payable later by persons whose entries are 
actually selected and processed at a U.S. consular section for this 
year's program. DV applicants, like other immigrant visa applicants, 
must also pay the regular visa fees at the time of visa issuance. 
Details of required fees will be included with the instructions sent by 
the Kentucky Consular Center to applicants who are selected.
    20. Are DV applicants specially entitled to apply for a waiver of 
any of the grounds of visa ineligibility?
    No. Applicants are subject to all grounds of ineligibility for 
immigrant visas specified in the Immigration and Nationality Act. There 
are no special provisions for the waiver of any ground

[[Page 51631]]

of visa ineligibility other than those ordinarily provided in the Act.
    21. May persons who are already registered for an immigrant visa in 
another category apply for the DV Program?
    Yes, such persons may apply for the DV program.
    22. How long do applicants who are selected remain entitled to 
apply for visas in the DV Category?
    Persons selected in the DV-2005 lottery are entitled to apply for 
visa issuance only during fiscal year 2005, i.e., from October 2004 
through September 2005. Applicants must obtain the DV visa or adjust 
status by the end of the Fiscal Year (September 30, 2005). There is no 
carry-over of DV benefits into the next year for persons who are 
selected but who do not obtain visas during FY-2005. Also, spouses and 
children who derive status from a DV-2005 registration can only obtain 
visas in the DV category between October 2004 and September 2005. 
Applicants who apply overseas will receive an appointment letter from 
the Kentucky Consular Center four to six weeks before the scheduled 
appointment.

List Of Countries by Region Whose Natives Qualify

    The lists below show the countries whose natives are QUALIFIED 
within each geographic region for this diversity program. The 
determination of countries within each region is based on information 
provided by the Geographer of the Department of State. The countries 
whose natives do not qualify for the DV-2005 program were identified by 
the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) according to 
the formula in Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. 
Dependent areas overseas are included within the region of the 
governing country. The countries whose natives do NOT qualify for this 
diversity program (because they are the principal source countries of 
Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based immigration, or ``high 
admission'' countries) are noted in parentheses after the respective 
regional lists.

Africa

Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Congo
Congo, Democratic Republic of the Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Djibouti
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia, The
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Asia

Afghanistan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Burma
Cambodia
East Timor
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Japan
Jordan
Kuwait
Laos
Lebanon
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Nepal
North Korea
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Syria
Taiwan
Thailand
United Arab Emirates
Yemen

    Natives of the following Asian countries do not qualify for this 
year's diversity program: China [mainland-born], India, Pakistan, South 
Korea, Philippines, and Vietnam. The Hong Kong S.A.R and Taiwan do 
qualify and are listed above. Macau S.A.R. also qualifies and is listed 
below.

Europe

Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark (including components and dependent areas overseas)
Estonia
Finland
France (including components and dependent areas overseas)
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau Special Administrative Region
Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Netherlands (including components and dependent areas overseas)
Northern Ireland
Norway
Poland
Portugal (including components and dependent areas overseas)
Romania
San Marino
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovakia
Slovenia

[[Page 51632]]

Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Tajikistan
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
Vatican City

    Natives of the following European countries do not qualify for this 
year's diversity program: Great Britain and Russia. Great Britain 
(United Kingdom) includes the following dependent areas: Anguilla, 
Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, 
Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands. 
Note that for purposes of the diversity program only, Northern Ireland 
is treated separately; Northern Ireland does qualify and is listed 
among the qualifying areas.

North America

The Bahamas

    In North America, natives of Canada and Mexico do not qualify for 
this year's diversity program.

Oceania

Australia (including components and dependent areas overseas)
Fiji
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Micronesia, Federated States of Nauru
New Zealand (including components and dependent areas overseas)
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Samoa

South America, Central America, and the Caribbean

Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominica
Ecuador
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyana
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
Uruguay
Venezuela

    Countries in this region whose natives do not qualify for this 
year's diversity program: Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, 
Haiti, Jamaica, and Mexico.

    Dated: August 21, 2003.
Maura Harty,
Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs, Department of State.
[FR Doc. 03-21908 Filed 8-26-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-06-P