Did you know that the United States has a special program designed to enhance its cultural diversity? Every year, thousands of people from all regions of the world are given the opportunity to win the diversity immigration/immigrant visa, which is also called the diversity visa lottery (DV lottery). So if you have ever dreamed of starting a life in the US, a diversity visa might actually be your ticket to making that dream a reality. It’s exciting, ain’t it? Even if your home country is not eligible for application, there are other ways to go about it, which I will be stating in this article.
In this article, I will define diversity in immigration visas, the process of applying, how to apply, ineligible countries, requirements, how to avoid scammers during the application process, and a lot more. Stay with me.
What Is the Diversity Immigrant Visa?
The diversity immigrant visa, also called the diversity visa lottery, is a type of visa program administered by the Department of State as a method of increasing the diversity of immigrants coming to the United States.
It doesn’t cost anything to apply for the diversity immigrant visa and it involves filling out a simple form online. The lottery is open every year from early October through early November. The winners are selected randomly by a computer, and they and their immediate families receive green cards.
This visa program allows more than 50,000 randomly selected people only from countries that don’t send many immigrants to the United States to obtain permanent residency. This green card lottery works by only accepting applicants from countries with historically low rates of immigration into the United States. The main goal of this diversity immigrant visa is to diversify the population of the United States.
Key Points
- The Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery is a program administered by the U.S. Department of State designed to increase the diversity of immigrants by randomly selecting more than 50,000 people from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.
- The application for the Diversity Immigrant Visa is free, but selected winners must pay mandatory fees for the green card application and required medical exams before the consular interview.
- Eligibility for the Diversity Immigrant Visa requires applicants to be from eligible countries with low immigration rates to the U.S. and to meet specific educational or work experience requirements.
What Is the Cost of the Diversity Immigration Visa?
As I said earlier in this article, there is no fee to enter the green card lottery. However, if you are selected, you are required to pay the mandatory green card application fees. Once you have been selected as one of the lottery winners, you will receive information and details of the required fees on the diversity visa website at dvprogram.state.gov.
Also, note that some organizations charge a fee for their application review and submission service to make sure that the customer’s application and photos are completed correctly before being submitted to the diversity visa lottery on their behalf during the annual registration period.
You will also need to pay for the required medical exam(s), which you and each family member must have as one of the last steps before the consular interview. Please note that there are charges that come after being selected as a winner in the green card lottery.
What Is the Timeline for a Diversity Immigration Visa?
Once you have been chosen as one of the winners of the diversity visa lottery, you will be notified 7 months after submitting your entry. Once selected, it takes up to 14 months to be scheduled for an interview and receive your visa, depending on how soon you apply for it.
For example, if you applied for the 2024 green card lottery during the registration period (October–November 2022), the winners will be announced sometime in May 2023. You would only be allowed to apply for your visa during fiscal year 2024, which is from January 1, 2023, to September 30, 2023. The sooner you apply during the year, the sooner you will be scheduled for your visa interview and be issued your visa.
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Once you have your visa, the next important thing to do is to enter the United States on or before the visa expiration date printed on your visa. A diversity visa is typically valid for up to 6 months from the date it was issued.
What Is the Diversity Immigration Visa Eligibility?
To check if you are eligible for this green card lottery, there are two important things to consider
#1. Country of Birth
Eligible and ineligible countries are mostly listed online by the US Department of State each September. The diversity immigrant visa applicant must be a citizen of one of the eligible countries. These eligible countries are determined by the countries that sent less than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the last five years.
Countries eligible for the diversity immigrant visa program include:
- Bangladesh
- Brazil
- Canada
- China
- Colombia
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Haiti
- Honduras
- India
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- South Korea
- United Kingdom ( with the exception of Northern Netherlands)
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
There is still good news for people in the country who are not eligible. You can be eligible if:
- Neither of your parents were legal residents in your own country of birth; you can choose your father’s or mother’s country of birth
- If your spouse was born in an eligible country, you can apply with your spouse and choose your spouse’s birth country on your application
#2. Education
In addition to your country of birth, you must meet some educational level requirements in order to register for the DV lottery. This simply means that you must have a high school education (or equivalent) or two years of experience within the past five years in a qualifying occupation. This will be determined by the U.S. Department of State’s.
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How to Enter the Lottery
Participating or applying for the DV lottery is relatively easy. All you need to do is fill out a form on the State Department’s website when it is available from early October to early November. Most of the questions asked on the form are easy and understandable. However, there are a few places where these extra suggestions may be helpful.
- You must list your spouse, even if the spouse doesn’t live with you or there is no intention of immigrating with the spouse.
- You must list all of your biological children and also the adopted ones (if applicable), no matter how old they are. You should also list all of your stepchildren under 21 years old, even if you are no longer with their parent
- You must include a recent photo (taken within 6 months) of you, your spouse and your children. Follow the same photo requirements as the green card application
- Under the country of eligibility, list either your country of birth or any other country you qualify for, such as your spouse’s or parent’s country. The country you are currently living in is irrelevant to this question
- Under the country of birth, list the original country you were born in, even if that’s not where you live at the moment. If there was a change in the country’s name, please use the country’s current name
Once you submit your application, it’s essential to keep your confirmation number, because that is the only way to know if you have been selected.
Selection and Notification of Diversity Visa Lottery
The selection of the winners are done at random by a computer program with a certain number of visas allocated to each region of the world and the highest a country can receive is 7% of the Diversity visa available in that year.
Although the dates vary, people who have entered the Diversity Visa lottery can check the status of their application beginning in the early part of May of the year following the application by using the entrant status check link on the Diversity Visa webpage.
Once selected for the green card lottery, you and your family members will have to meet the same requirements as any other US green card applicant. Certain types of criminal records could make you ineligible for a green card even after being selected as a winner in the diversity immigrant visa. There are also some medical conditions that can make you ineligible.
What Happens Next After Selection and Notification?
It doesn’t just end with selecting you. Once you are selected, it is important that you act quickly, even though it could still be a year or more before you are able to come to the United States. There are 2 important reasons why you should act fast:
- Firstly, your application must be processed and your visa must be issued by the end of the fiscal year for which you were selected.
- Secondly, there are more people selected for the Diversity Immigrant Visa than there are available visas. So if you wait until the last minute, there might not be any visas left.
A numerical number is given to you once you are selected as a winner of the diversity visa lottery. The numerical rank will tell you when you can apply for your visa. You can check the State Department’s visa bulletin towards the end of June to see when you can submit your application. The first visas are available on October 1, the first day of the U.S. government fiscal year, and you can submit your application up to 90 days ahead of time.
If You Are Within the United States
If you’re currently living in the U.S. under a non-immigrant or another type of legal status, the process you will follow should you win the lottery and be allowed to apply for a green card through USCIS. You are to fill out Form I-485. You should submit your application as soon as your visa becomes available, based on the visa bulletin.
If You Are Living Outside of the United States
The vast majority of green card lottery winners live outside of the United States and follow consular processing. They will apply through the consulate in their home country. Once there are any available visas, you should submit Form DS-260 to the National Visa Center. Once the application has been processed, it will be forwarded to the U.S. consulate, which will schedule a visa interview. If you meet all the requirements, you will be approved for your immigrant visa at the interview.
Tips on How to Avoid Scams When Applying for Diversity Visa Lottery
There are a lot of scammers out there trying to loot people with diverse immigrant visas. You may come across private websites that offer everything from tips on winning the green card lottery to secrets to help you breach the system. You might even receive fraudulent emails or letters that will try to convince you that you have been selected as a lottery winner.
Here is what you need to know
- Entering the lottery is free and winners are selected by a computer program
- You can only find out if you have won by going to the entrant status check
- If you win and are allowed to apply, you will have to pay a fee, but that will be in person at a U.S. embassy or consulate.
- The department of State does not notify winners either by mail or by email
Always remember that the diversity immigrant visa is a lottery and the chances of winning are not high but if you are the lucky one, it can be a way to come to the United States even if you don’t have any family or employment contacts.
What Is the Benefit of a Diversity Visa?
A diversity visa allows you to live and work in the United States. The U.S. government will not pay for your airfare, find you a place to live or find you a job. As part of your visa application, you will have to prove that you are unlikely to become dependent on the U.S. government for your living expenses.
What Is the Secret to Winning the DV Lottery?
The secret is increasing your diversity visa odds. Even though you are entering a random drawing, there are a couple of legitimate things you can do to increase your chances of winning. Both you and your spouse, if eligible, should apply. This gives you two chances to win as opposed to one.
What Is the Age Limit for a Diversity Immigration Visa?
There is no minimum age to apply, but the requirement of high school education or work experience for each principal applicant at the time of application will effectively disqualify most persons who are under 18 years old.
Conclusion
As you are applying for the Diversity immigrant visa lottery, you should know that winning the green card does not guarantee you a green card; it grants you an opportunity to apply for one. This simply means that your green card application can still be denied if you fail in the process. For any reason, do not forget your confirmation number, because this is the only way to know if you have been selected.
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Reference
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