Diversity Visa Program
The Congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program makes available 50,000 permanent resident visas annually which are drawn from a random selection among all entries. Valid entries will be from countries with typically low rates of immigration to the U.S.
Visa lottery winners are notified by mail from the Department of State, not by email, and will be provided further instructions, including information on fees associated with immigration to the U.S. Those individuals not selected will not receive any notification. Winners are selected randomly, and there is no fee to enter the lottery.
While there is no initial fee for entering the visa lottery, lottery winners must pay a non-refundable fee of $775 for each application. This fee is charged for each application and must be paid at the U.S. Embassy. A lottery winner who wishes to bring their spouse and children to the U.S. would need to submit applications and fees for each person.
How to Apply:
Entries to the visa lottery must be submitted online at www.dvlottery.state.gov. This site is only accessible during the application period and entries are only accepted for a limited time between October and December. Paper entries are not accepted. Lottery winners are notified by mail between May and July and will be provided further instructions, including information on fees. Lottery winners will be eligible to apply for their immigrant visa starting in October of the following year. The application process must be completed and the visa approved by September 30th of the following year. Selected individuals may apply for their visa at their local U.S. Embassy.
Entrants may submit only one entry during any particular year’s visa lottery period. Those who submit more than one entry will be disqualified. However, spouses may submit separate entries if each meets the eligibility requirements.
If only one spouse is selected, the other may enter the country on the Diversity Visa of the winning spouse.
The visa lottery has the following eligibility requirements:
- The entrant must be from an eligible country. You must have been born in an eligible country, or have parents who were born in eligible countries. The list of eligible countries changes every year. Contact our office for this year’s list.
- Entrants must meet an education or training requirement. You will have met the education requirement if you have a high school education or have successfully completed a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education. You will have met the training requirement if you have at least two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience to perform.
Winning the diversity visa lottery is just the first step in the process. The selected applicant must still apply and demonstrate their qualifications for an immigrant visa. Individuals who are otherwise ineligible to receive a visa for health, criminal, security reasons, or who have committed prior immigration violations may not be eligible for a visa. Applicants must also be able to demonstrate that when they immigrate, they will not be reliant on the U.S. government for financial assistance.
Please contact us to start your immigration application now.