Understanding the U.S. Green Card Lottery

The United States Green Card Lottery is also known as the Diversity Visa Lottery Program. It is an annual program that offers individuals (and their families) from eligible countries the opportunity to apply for a Green Card to live and work in the United States as a Permanent Resident.

Key details about the Green Card Lottery program

1. Eligibility: To be eligible for the Green Card Lottery individuals must be a Citizen of a qualifying country and meet the minimum educational requirements, or have at least two years of work experience in a specified occupation.
2. Application period: The application period for the Green Card Lottery opens in the fall and closes a few months later.
3. Application process: To apply for the Green Card Lottery individuals must complete the online application form and submit it during the application period.
4. Selection process: After the application period has closed a computer generated random selection process is used to select the winners of the Green Card Lottery.
5. Interview: Selected individuals must attend an interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate in their home country. During the interview they will be required to provide additional information and documentation to confirm their eligibility for a Green Card.
6. Issuance of Green Card: Approved individuals will receive a Green Card which allows them to live and work permanently in the United States. They will also be required to undergo a medical examination and provide additional documentation before the Green Card is issued.

What Countries are Eligible for the Diversity Visa Lottery Program?

The eligibility for the Diversity Visa Lottery Program (Green Card Lottery), is based on the country of birth of the applicant. The program is designed to increase diversity in the U.S. immigrant population by providing a limited number of visas to individuals from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. Countries that have sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the previous five years are not eligible for the program.

Citizens from the following Countries are Eligible

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor (Timor-Leste), Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia (FYROM), Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Even if a country is eligible the individuals must still meet the minimum educational requirements or have at least two years of work experience in a specified occupation to be eligible for the Diversity Visa Lottery Program.

Get a Free Green Card Lottery Assessment

What is the Specific Form I need to Fill in for the Green Card Lottery?

The specific form that you need to fill in for the Diversity Visa Lottery Program is the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) Entry Form. This is also known as the DV-Lottery form. This form is available online and can be accessed through the official U.S. Department of State website.

The E-DV Entry Form requires applicants to provide basic personal information such as name, date of birth, country of birth and information about the applicant’s education and work experience. All information provided on the E-DV Entry Form must be accurate and truthful because false information could result in the applicant being disqualified from the Diversity Visa Lottery Program.

Once the form is submitted applicants will receive a confirmation page with a unique confirmation number which can be used to check the status of their application. It is important to keep this confirmation number safe because as it will be needed if the applicant is selected in the lottery.

These are the questions on the E-DV Entry Form

• Personal Information: This section includes questions about the applicant’s name, date of birth, place of birth, gender, marital status and contact information.
• Passport Information: This section includes questions about the applicant’s current passport or travel document.
• Country of Eligibility: This section asks the applicant to select the country of eligibility for the Diversity Visa Lottery Program.
• Spouse Information: This section includes questions about the applicant’s spouse, if applicable, including their name, date of birth and place of birth.
• Family Information: This section includes questions about the applicant’s children, if applicable, including their name, date and place of birth.
• Education and Work Experience: This section includes questions about the applicant’s education and work experience including their highest level of education completed.
• Additional Information: Additional questions about the applicant’s history including any previous U.S. visa applications, criminal history and military service.

What is the fee for submitting the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) Entry Form?

There is no fee for submitting the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) Entry Form. The U.S. Department of State offers this program as a free opportunity for eligible individuals to apply for a U.S. green card.

It is important to be cautious of scams that may try to charge a fee for submitting the E-DV Entry Form. The U.S. Department of State cautions individuals to be wary of any website or organization that claims to charge a fee for submitting the E-DV Entry Form. These websites are not affiliated with the U.S. government and may be attempting to scam applicants out of their money.

To ensure that you are submitting the E-DV Entry Form through an official and legitimate source, it is recommended that you access the form through the U.S. Department of State’s official website, and not through a third-party website.

How to check the status of the DV lottery

The status of a Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery application can be checked through the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website. The steps to check your status are as follows:

1. Visit the E-DV website: Go to the official E-DV website which can be found at dvlottery.state.gov.
2. Enter Confirmation Number: On the homepage you will see a link to check your status. Click on the link and enter your confirmation number which was provided to you after you submitted your E-DV Entry Form.
3. Enter Personal Information: You will be prompted to enter your last name and year of birth. This information is used to verify your identity and access your DV Lottery application status.
4. View Status: Once you have entered your confirmation number, last name and year of birth, the E-DV website will display your application status.

The status of your DV Lottery application may not be updated in real-time and it may take several weeks or months for the status to be updated on the E-DV website. It is important to be cautious of any website or organization that claims to provide expedited status updates or offers to check your status for a fee.

If you are selected as a winner in the DV Lottery you will be notified directly by the U.S. Department of State through the E-DV website. The E-DV website will also provide instructions on how to proceed with the next steps in the visa application process.

Common U.S. Green Card Lottery Scams

Green card lottery scams are fraudulent schemes that try to take advantage of individuals who are interested in immigrating to the United States through the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery Program.

These are the most common green card lottery scams:

• Fake Government Websites: Some scammers create fake government websites that look similar to the official U.S. Department of State’s Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website and charge a fee for submitting the DV Lottery application.
• Email Scams: Some scammers send emails claiming that the recipient has won the DV Lottery and asking for personal information or payment to process the visa application.
• Phone Scams: Some scammers call individuals claiming that they have won the DV Lottery and ask for personal information or payment to process the visa application.
• Advance Fee Scams: Some scammers ask for payment in advance to help with the visa application process or to expedite the process.
• Photocopy Scams: Some scammers ask individuals to send photocopies of their passport and then use this information for identity theft or other fraudulent purposes.

How to protect yourself

It is important to be cautious of any website, email, phone call or person that claims to offer assistance with the DV Lottery or asks for payment or personal information. The U.S. Department of State’s E-DV website is the only official source for information and application submission for the Diversity Visa Lottery Program and there is no fee to submit the E-DV Entry Form.

Why are some countries unable to apply for the DV lottery?

Some countries are unable to apply for the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery Program because of the high number of immigrants that have come to the United States from those countries in the past.

The DV Lottery Program was created to provide immigration opportunities to countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

To work out which countries are eligible for the DV Lottery the U.S. Department of State looks at the number of natives of a country who have immigrated to the United States in the previous five years.

If the number of Citizens from a country who have immigrated to the United States in the previous five years exceeds a certain threshold then natives of that country are not eligible to participate in the DV Lottery.

The threshold for each country is determined by taking the total number of visas issued in the previous five years and dividing that number by the total number of countries that participated in the lottery during that period.

The countries with the highest numbers of immigrants to the United States in the previous five years are not eligible for the DV Lottery.

What is the maximum age for the DV lottery?

There is no specific maximum age limit for the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery Program. However, to be eligible for the DV Lottery an individual must meet certain educational and work experience requirements.

The educational or work experience requirements are that the individual must have at least a high school education or its equivalent or two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform.

These requirements are used to determine whether an individual is eligible for the DV Lottery and not as a basis for age discrimination. It is important to note that meeting the educational or work experience requirements does not guarantee that an individual will be selected for a diversity visa or that a visa will be issued.

What bank balance is required for the Diversity Visa Lottery?

There is no specific bank balance requirement for the Green Card Lottery Diversity Visa (DV). However, as with any move to a new country it is important to have sufficient financial resources to support yourself and your family.

The U.S. Department of State administers the Green Card Lottery Program and does not require a minimum bank balance. However, they do expect that you will have enough resources to support yourself and your family after arriving in the United States.

This may include financial support from a sponsor, a job offer, or other sources of income. Having sufficient financial resources is important as the U.S. government does not provide financial assistance to Green Card Lottery winners.

How hard is it to win the Green Card Lottery?

The Green Card Lottery is chosen through a computer-generated random selection process. The U.S. Department of State administers the DV Lottery Program and uses a computer program to randomly select the winners from all eligible entries.

To participate in the DV Lottery individuals must submit an electronic entry through the official U.S. government website during the annual registration period. Once the entry period has ended, the U.S. Department of State uses a computer program to randomly select the winners of the lottery. The selection process is designed to be fair and impartial with no preference given to any particular country or individual.

The chance of winning the Green Card Lottery is 0.8%

Maximizing Your Chances of Winning the Diversity Visa Lottery

Both Eligible Spouses Should Participate in the Diversity Visa Lottery

The most effective way to increase your family’s chances of winning the DV lottery is to have all eligible family members register. This includes checking that they meet the country, educational and other eligibility criteria. If one of the applicants wins then the other can apply for a U.S. green card as a derivative spouse and both can bring along any unmarried children under 21 years of age.

For example, if you and your spouse are both citizens of New Zealand, have jobs in skilled fields, and have completed secondary school then you have two eligible applicants. You can each file separate applications and if one wins then the other can apply for a U.S. green card.

All Eligible Children Should Apply for the DV Lottery

There is no limit to the number of eligible family members who can apply for the DV lottery. If you have children who meet the educational or work experience requirements, usually being at least 16 to 18 years old then they should also apply. While they may not be able to immediately bring the family over if they win, they will start the process of helping you and other family members immigrate to the United States in the future.

For example, if both you and your 20-year-old son are eligible for the diversity visas and apply, and your son wins, he cannot bring you to the U.S. as a “derivative.” However, after becoming a lawful permanent resident and living in the U.S. for five years he can apply for U.S. citizenship and then petition for you as an “immediate relative” to become a resident.

What happens after winning U.S. Green Card visa lottery?

Winning the U.S. visa lottery is the first step in the process of immigrating to the United States. After winning the following steps take place:

1. Immigrant visa processing: If you have won the Green Card lottery you will need to complete the immigrant visa application process.
2. Interview: A consular officer will then conduct an interview with you during which they will review your eligibility and ask questions to verify your background and circumstances.
3. Medical examination: You need to undergo a medical examination conducted by a designated doctor to ensure that you do not have any medical conditions that would make you inadmissible to the United States.
4. Issuance of visa: If the consular officer determines that you are eligible for the visa they will issue you an immigrant visa.
5. Travel to the United States: After the visa has been issued you can travel to the United States and become a lawful permanent resident. You will be required to present your visa at the U.S. port of entry, where a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer will admit you into the country as a lawful permanent resident.

How many times can you apply for the Green Card Lottery?

The U.S. Department of State only allows one entry per person during each annual registration period. Submitting multiple entries will result in all of the entries being disqualified. However, there is no limit on the number of times an individual can enter the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery in various years.

While there is no limit on the number of times an individual can enter the DV Lottery it is important to only submit one entry per person each year and to be aware that winning the lottery does not guarantee a visa or immigration to the United States.