Green Card Lottery: Diversity Visa Lottery


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The Green Card Lottery (DV 2012)

Each year, individuals from eligible countries may apply for a green card at no charge at the US State Department website. Instructions on how to apply for the green card lottery are posted each year at the US State Department website. If you need help with your application, Immigration Law Offices can process your application for you. Our fee is $100 US, payable by check or credit card. Click here to begin.

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About the Lottery: Each year 55,000 permanent resident visas or "green cards" are handed out through the US green card lottery program, also known as the "Diversity Visa Program". 5,000 of these visas are given to those eligible under the NACARA (Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act) program. The rest are picked at random. The cards are distributed on a first-come first-served basis; the USCIS will notify 110,000 prospective applicants. Once the first 55,000 diversity visas are issued, the program is closed. This free program is designed to add diversity to the U.S. immigrant population. It entitles you to live and work permanently in the US, as well as bring your spouse and any unmarried children under the age of 21 to the US.

The qualifying countries vary per year, depending on which countries have been least represented in the U.S. immigrant population over the previous five years. The maximum distributed per country each year is 3,850.

In order to qualify for the green card lottery, you must:

(1) be born in a qualifying country, or, if you are not native-born, you may claim your native-born spouse's country of birth, or your parents' country of birth, if neither of your parents were born or resided in that country at your time of birth.

(2) hold either a high school diploma or at least two years of job experience in a job requiring a minimum of two years of training or experience

Please Note: A job offer is NOT necessary to be eligible for this program.

For DV-2011, natives of the following countries were NOT eligible to apply because they sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the US over the period of the previous five years:

Brazil
Canada
China (mainland-born)
Colombia
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Haiti
India
Jamaica
Mexico
Pakistan
Philippines
Peru
Poland
South Korea
United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories
Vietnam

Please Note: Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible to apply.

DV 2011 Application Instructions

Definitions:

Accompanying Relative:
The spouse or child under the age of 21 of the holder of an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa, who is accompanying them to the US