WHAT IS THE DV LOTTERY PROGRAM?
Diversity Lottery Program or DV Lottery is a draw that has been carried out every year by the U.S Department of State (DOS). It was introduced in the year 1995. Its main aim is to diversify the population of the U.S. This program is especially for those countries who do not send their citizens to the U.S as immigrants in large numbers.
Each year more than 50000 people are selected to get immigrant visas also known as the “Green Cards” through this program. The U.S Green Card is a permanent residency Visa that provides unlimited resources and works permits for the USA.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
There are two requirements to be eligible for the DV Lottery Program, it includes
Country of Birth
All the applicants who are eligible to apply for this program must be citizens of those countries that send their immigrants less than 50,000 to the U.S in the time period of past 5 years.
Non-Eligible Countries: The list is tentative but mostly the individuals of these countries never made it to the selected individuals’ list for the DV Lottery Program because these countries already send immigrants in large numbers. It includes
- India
- Canada
- China
- United Kingdom
- Mexico
Education
The second requirement for the eligibility criteria is that the applicant must have at least a high school degree. Individuals who have work experience of at least two years in a profession that requires two years of training are also eligible for the program.
HOW TO APPLY?
The application form for DV lottery Program is easily available on the Department of State’s website each year from early October to early November. You’ll have to fill out and submit the form online. The form includes some basic questions about your personal information, parent’s information, children’s information, and your native country’s information.
In the application form, you will have to submit recent pictures (taken within the past 6 months) of yourself, your parents, your biological children, and your adopted children.
After the submission of the application form, you will get a confirmation code. You must keep this confirmation code with yourself as it will be required to confirm if you get selected.
SELECTION CRITERIA
The selection of the applicant is made by computer software that makes the draw and selects the winners. Each region of the world has a specific number of visas allocated to the countries. No country gets more than 7% of the total visas available in that fiscal year.
A person who got selected for the Diversity Lottery Program has to pass through the same process as green card applicants. There are some conditions in the criminal and medical background of the applicants that can result in their disqualification from the program.
COST AND TIMELINE
A Diversity Lottery entry is free of charge. Upon selection, however, a mandatory fee for green cards must be paid. Diversity Lottery’s website will detail the fees for selected applicants.
After a person is selected, the visa takes about 7 months to process. Depending on when you apply, the process can take up to 14 months. You will be called for the interview and your visa will be issued sooner if you apply for the Diversity Lottery program as soon as possible.