Every year the DV lottery program, which is commonly known as the green card lottery program, grants about 50,000 visas to people from all round the world. Successful winners are issued a green card which authorises them and their families to live and work permanently in the United States of America.
The Diversity Visa lottery( as it is commonly known) unlike other visa program has less eligibility requirement. Some of the requirement are:
Born in an eligible country: The basic requirement is that the applicant should be from a qualifying country. If by chance he/she is not from a qualifying country they can still qualify for the DV lottery if their spouse or parents are from an eligible country.
Educational requirement: All applicants must meet a basic education or work requirement. The applicant should posses a high school education or its equivalent or should at least possess about two years work experience in the past five years
Once the DV lottery program is officially concluded, the KCC (Kentucy Consular Center) will randomnly select the winners. These lucky winners will be notified by mail and the notification will also contain further instructions on how they need to proceed.
Some Interesting Facts About the DV Lottery
1. Why certain countries do not qualify for the lottery?
DV lottery is intended to provide an equal opportunity for people from various regions who have lower rates of immigration to the United States every year. Regions with high admission rates during the previous years will not be allowed to particiapte in the lottery. Each year the USCIS adds the admission numbers (family and employment immigration) for the previous five years to identify those regions whose natives will become ineligible for the DV lottery program.
2. Is there an age limit for participating in the DV lottery?
No. There is no minimum age to apply for the lottery program. Hoever the educational requirement or the work experience of the applicant will effectively disqualify many people below the age of 18.
3. What is the process involved while selecting the lucky winners?
All entries received from each region will be individually numbered at the Kentucky Consular Center. After the end of registration period, a computer will randomnly select entries received from the geographic regions. Within each geographic region, the first entry randomly selected will be the first case to win, the second entry selected will be the second winner and so on. All entries received during the registration period will have an equal chance of being selected within each region. When an entry has been selected, the entrant will be sent a notification letter by the Kentucky Consular Center, which will provide the visa application instructions.
4. How are winners notified?
When the registration period concludes, a computer would randomly select a list of winners from the available entries. Successful winners will be notified by the Kentucky Consular Center by mail, with the visa instructions. Should you receive an e-mail notification about your selection, be aware that the message is legitimate.
5. What happens if some bio-graphical information is changed after the application is filed?
If for any reasons, details of the spouse or child needs to be added, they can enter the United States with the applicant provided he/she proves that the relationship is not a fraudulent one.