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homeDiversity Visa Lottery
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, administered by the U.S. Department of State, makes available 50,000 immigrant visas per year to persons from countries with low immigration rates. Applicants for Diversity Visas are chosen by a computer-generated random lottery drawing. Visas are distributed among six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and Latin America. A greater number of visas go to regions with lower rates of immigration. No visas go to citizens of countries that send more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. within the past five years.
Application Process
Applications are now submitted by email to the U.S. Department of State. Applications for the DV-2005 lottery were to be submitted between November 1, 2003 and December 30, 2003. Instructions for DV-2006 have not yet been issued.
Requirements for Entry
- Applicants must be a native of a country whose natives qualify. In most cases this means the country in which the applicant was born.
- If a person was born in a country in which neither parent was born or resided at the time of his birth, he may claim nativity of the country of birth of one of his parents.
- A person whose native country is ineligible for the diversity lottery may claim the nativity of his or her spouse if the spouse is a native of an eligible country and both the spouse and applicant are issued visas and enter the U.S. simultaneously.
- Education or training - an applicant must have either a high school education or its equivalent or two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience.
Becoming a Permanent Resident
Applicants who win the Diversity lottery are notified by the U.S. Department of State. If they are present in the United States and in lawful status, they may apply to the USCIS for adjustment of status. If they are outside of the United States, they undergo consular processing of their immigrant visas.