In 2021, the Department of State granted 50,000 visas to applicants through the Diversity Visa program. Often called the DV lottery, this program is meant to increase the diversity of immigrants who move to the United States. The DV lottery enriches the U.S. by bringing in culture from a more diverse pool of applicants.
Winners are selected at random and awarded the chance to apply for a permanent resident card, commonly known as a green card. Unfortunately, some people take advantage of immigrants wishing to enter the U.S. Learn how to apply for the diversity visa lottery and avoid false lottery scams.
Understanding the Diversity Visa Lottery
Most immigrants who come to live in the United States have historically only represented a few countries. In 1990, George H. W. Bush signed the Immigration Act, which initiated the Diversity Visa Lottery. The DV lottery helps increase the diversity of immigrants from countries with smaller populations or a smaller presence in the United States.
Randomly selected winners and their immediate family members are awarded U.S. green cards.
Who Is Eligible for the Diversity Visa Lottery?
There are two main eligibility requirements for the Diversity Visa Lottery, as explained in the U.S. Department of State’s instructional video. You must emigrate from a country with few immigrants in the United States. You must also meet the education requirement.
What are the Eligibility requirements for the diversity visa?
Country
Not every country qualifies for diversity visas. Your home country must have had fewer than 50,000 immigrants move to the U.S. in the last five years. Large countries (like China or India) or close countries (like Canada and Mexico) send too many immigrants to the U.S. to take part in the DV lottery.
Countries that recently participated in the Diversity Visa Lottery include:
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Ethiopia
- Japan
- Albania
- Nicaragua
If your country does not meet eligibility requirements, you can apply with your spouse and choose your spouse’s country of origin on your application. You can also choose your parent’s country of origin if they were not legal residents of your home country when you were born.
Education Requirement
This requires a minimum of high school education, including completing a structured and formal education program that spans both elementary and secondary levels, comparable to 12 years of schooling in the United States. It’s important to note that only traditional academic coursework fulfills this requirement; alternative certifications, such as the G.E.D., unfortunately, do not meet the standard.
Work Experience Alternative
If you’re qualifying based on work experience, you need at least two years of experience within the last five years in a role that, according to U.S. Department of Labor definitions, demands at least two years of specialized training or experience. This should be in an occupation classified under Job Zone 4 or 5, with a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) rating of 7.0 or higher. This ensures that your experience meets the high standards required for such specialized positions.
Only the principal applicant must meet the education or work experience requirement; your spouse and children are exempt from this condition.
How Do You Apply for the Diversity Visa Lottery?
Submit the forms online through the government website. You can also use a service to help you submit a valid Green Card lottery application. Register early to avoid heavy website traffic and ensure your application is accepted, as late submissions won’t be considered.
The application window for the diversity visa lottery is typically open from October to November. Each person may only apply once per year. Keep your unique confirmation number so you will know if you are selected.
Participating in the Diversity Visa lottery is straightforward, though some sections can be tricky. Be mindful of the following:
- You must include your spouse, even if they don’t live with you or intend to immigrate.
- Name the country you were born in, as opposed to the country you currently live in, when applying for the Diversity visa lottery.
- One can ignore your country of birth if you are using your spouse’s or parent’s country of origin.
- If your country has been renamed since birth, list its current name.
- Regardless of age, list all biological, adopted, and stepchildren under 21, and your current relationship with their other parent.
For clarification purposes, “country of birth” refers to the country where you were born. “Country of eligibility” may refer to the country where your spouse or parents were born.
What are the steps after you are selected for the Diversity Visa Lottery?
Once you’re selected for the Diversity Visa Lottery, you need to follow the following steps:
- Verify your education and work experience qualifications as outlined earlier in this blog.
- The principal applicant and all family members applying for the Diversity Visa program must complete Form DS-260. After submitting Form DS-260 online, print the confirmation page.
- Once the DS-260 is processed, you’ll receive instructions to submit supporting documents such as birth certificates, court and prison records, military records, police certificates, and a photocopy of a valid passport.
- After submitting the above documents, your interview will be scheduled.
- Prepare for your interview by checking your entrant status online for the location and reviewing the interview instructions from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Also, bring the following document to your interview:
- Appointment Letter
- DS-260 confirmation page
- Passport
- Two identical color photographs for each applicant
- Medical Exam results
- English translation certificates
- Visa fees to interviewing consular officer if you’ve not paid the fees before.
- Attend the interview on the scheduled date and time with all documents in hand.
- At the end of your immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate, the consular officer will inform you if your visa application is approved or denied.
Timeline for the diversity visa lottery
The green card lottery winners are usually notified about 7 months after submitting their entry. After being selected, it may take up to 14 months to schedule your interview and obtain your visa, depending on how quickly you apply.
Winner Selection
Diversity Visa lottery winners are randomly selected by a computer program, with a specific number of visas assigned to each global region. No country can receive more than 7% of the Diversity Visas available in a year.
How Much Does the Diversity Visa Lottery Cost?
It’s important to remember that the Diversity Visa Lottery is free to apply. This allows residents of countries underrepresented in the United States to apply every year without financial hardship.
Winners who apply for a green card and establish their eligibility pay in person a non-refundable fee of $330 per person before the interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate.
Challenges to Diversity Visa Lottery Applicants
Certain criminal charges and medical diseases may prevent you from acquiring the visa. You also might not meet the minimum work and education requirements or be excluded if you’re from a country with high immigration rates to the US. The list of eligible countries changes every year, and you might be eligible to apply under your spouse’s country or the birth country of one of your parents.
Scam Risks to Diversity Visa Lottery Applicants
Fraudulent agencies may claim to increase your chances of winning the Diversity Visa Lottery for a fee. Many hopeful immigrants are scammed out of their money in this way.
Do not allow anyone to apply to the DV lottery for you unless you are in the same room. You risk having your confirmation number held hostage for payment. You should not expect to pay anything unless selected as a diversity visa winner. To avoid being a victim, keep in mind:
- The DV lottery is free to apply
- Each applicant can only apply once per year
- Winners are not notified by mail, phone, or email
- Winners will never be asked to pay fees over the phone
- Your confirmation number is unique and important
- You must check the Department of State website to know if you win
The application is relatively easy, and you should not need anyone’s help. Despite the scams some applicants encounter, the Diversity Visa Lottery is a legitimate path to a U.S. green card.
