Learn About the Green Card Lottery

What is the Green Card Lottery? The Diversity Immigrant lottery, also known as the Green Card Lottery, is a government program offered by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Bureau, which awards 50,000 Visas to applicants who meet the requirements for entry. The requirements for the Green Card Lottery are as follows: a. Applicants must be legal residents of the approved countries and nations. These nations are chosen based on the percentage of immigration to the United States; those countries with low immigration numbers are typically awarded entry into the Green Card Lottery. The following countries are listed in the Green Card Lottery: Brazil, Canada, China (mainland), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, South Korea, Vietnam, England, and Wales. b. The applicant must submit a photograph meeting the requirements expressed by the USCIS. c. Applicants must be able to substantiate documentation illustrating at least 2 years of consistent, legal employment in their home country. Green Card Lottery Application The following must be provided with every Green Card Lottery application: a. Name, date of birth, and city or town and county of birth b. Gender, mailing address, and marital status c. A digital photograph meeting the requirements expressed on the application d. A single application per individual applicant; multiple submissions of applications will result in that individual’s expulsion for the lottery pool: Photographs are required to convey no more than one individual Photographs must have been taken within 6 months prior to the submission of the application Photographs must measure 2 inches by 2 inches, with the face of the subject in the center of the photograph Photographs are required from all individuals, regardless of age Individuals are required to abstain from strange and unnatural facial expressions; the individual’s eyes are required to remain open for the photograph – squinting is not permitted Results of the Green Card Lottery Those who in essence win the lottery will be notified by the U.S. Department of State—the government agency responsible for displaying the winning numbers on an annual basis. single application can be submitted with regard each individual applicant; individuals caught submitting multiple applications will be disqualified from the Green Card Lottery. Distribution Process for the DV-Lottery The DV-lottery distributes visas based on a regional basis; each region sending fewer immigrants to America in the previous 5 years will receive more diversity visa opportunities. Currently, Africa and Europe account for about 80% of the visas in the lottery. Additionally, no single country is permitted to receive more than 7% of the total number of visas. More ‘winners’ are selected in the lottery than there are visas available. As a result, those who win the lottery are not guaranteed an immigrant visa to the United States. To receive a DV-Visa, the non-resident must meet all eligibility requirements under United States’ law to qualify. The winner of the lottery must be interviewed before the 50,000 green cards may be distributed. Requirements include a high school diploma or its equivalent (or two years of work experience in a specialized occupation.) Legal Implications for the DV-Lottery In December 2005, the House of Representatives added an amendment to abolish the DV-lottery. As a result of mounting fraud and the added susceptibility for terrorist entry associated with the lottery, policy makers wished to abolish the program. Although the Senate never approved the amendment, numerous bills have been offered to eliminate the DV-lottery.