Find out about timeline, cost, and how to apply for the United States green card lottery

What is the Diversity Visa Lottery?

The Diversity Immigrant Visa program, overseen by the Department of State, serves as a means to enhance the variety of immigrants relocating to the United States.

Yearly, the Diversity Visa program provides an opportunity for over 50,000 individuals, randomly selected exclusively from nations with low immigration rates to the United States, to secure permanent residency, commonly referred to as a “green card.” This program offers a path to legal immigration for individuals and families who may not have any other means to do so.

Participating in the Diversity Visa lottery, also known as the green card lottery, entails completing a straightforward online application, and there is no associated fee. Eligible individuals can submit their entry each year during the period from early October to early November. The winners are chosen randomly by a computer, and both the winners and their immediate family members are granted green cards.

After obtaining your visa, you are required to enter the United States on or before the expiration date indicated on your visa. Usually, a Diversity Visa remains valid for a period of approximately six months from the date of issuance.

Diversity Visa Eligibility

When applying for a Diversity Visa, two primary prerequisites must be met:

1. Country of birth

To qualify for the Diversity Visa, one’s country of birth must have contributed fewer than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the preceding five years. While the list of eligible countries may vary annually, it consistently excludes Canada, China, India, Mexico, and the United Kingdom due to their significant immigrant populations in the United States.

For the 2023 application cycle, individuals from the subsequent countries were ineligible to apply:

• Bangladesh
• Brazil
• Canada
• China (including Hong Kong SAR)
• Colombia
• Dominican Republic
• El Salvador
• Haiti
• Honduras
• India
• Jamaica
• Mexico
• Nigeria (Not Eligible)
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• South Korea
• United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories
• Venezuela
• Vietnam

For more information, the State Department provides a list of all eligible countries.

If your country of origin is not eligible, there remain two alternative methods through which you could meet the requirements for the Diversity Visa:

• If your spouse hails from a qualifying country, you have the option to apply alongside them and select your spouse’s country of birth in your application.
• If neither of your parents were legal residents in your country of birth, you have the option to select the country of birth of either your mother or father.

2. Education

The second significant criterion for Diversity Visa applicants mandates having either a high school diploma or a minimum of two years of employment experience in the last five years in an occupation necessitating at least two years of training, as designated by the  U.S. Department of Labor.

How to Enter the Green Card Lottery

Participating in the lottery is a straightforward process. You simply complete a form on the US State Department’s website, which is open for submissions from early October to early November. While most of the questions are straightforward, there are a few areas where some additional guidance might prove useful.

• For the “country of birth,” please specify the country in which you were born, irrespective of your current place of residence. If the country’s name has changed since your birth, provide its current name.
• For the “country of eligibility,” please indicate either your country of birth, or, if you meet the criteria to use your spouse’s or your parents’ birth countries, specify that country. Your current country of residence is not pertinent to this inquiry.
• Your spouse: You must include your spouse, regardless of whether they reside with you or have no plans to immigrate alongside you.
• Your children: You must provide details about all your biological children and adopted children, regardless of their age. Additionally, please include information about any step-children under the age of 21, even if you are no longer in a marital relationship with their parent.

You must also provide a recent photograph of yourself, your spouse, and your children, taken within the last six months, adhering to the same photo guidelines as outlined for a green card application.

After submitting your application, it’s crucial to retain your confirmation number as it serves as the sole means to determine if you’ve been chosen.

Selection and Notification

The Diversity Visa lottery selects its winners through a computer program that employs a random selection process. It distributes a specific number of visas to different global regions, ensuring that no single country can claim more than 7% of the total Diversity Visas granted in a given year.

While the specific timing may differ, individuals who have entered the Diversity Visa lottery can verify the status of their application starting in early May of the year following their application. This can be done by utilizing the Entrant Status Check link on the Diversity Visa webpage. The significance of retaining the confirmation number cannot be overstated, as without it, one will be unable to determine their selection status.

If you are chosen through the Diversity Visa Lottery, you and your family members must adhere to the same eligibility criteria as any other prospective U.S. green card applicants. Some specific criminal backgrounds may disqualify you from obtaining a green card, and certain medical conditions could pose challenges or barriers to securing one.

What Happens Next?

If you win the green card lottery, it’s crucial to take prompt action, despite the potential wait of a year or longer before you can enter the United States. Two key reasons necessitate immediate action: Firstly, your application needs to be fully processed, and your visa must be granted before the fiscal year in which you were selected concludes. Secondly, more individuals are chosen for the Diversity Visa than there are visas to allocate, and if you delay until the eleventh hour, there may be no visas remaining.

Once you receive notification of your success in the Diversity Visa program, you will be assigned a numerical ranking that indicates the eligible period for visa application. Starting in late July, you can refer to the State Department’s visa bulletin to determine the specific timeframe for submitting your application. The initial allotment of visas becomes accessible on October 1, coinciding with the commencement of the U.S. government’s fiscal year, and you can initiate your application process up to 90 days in advance.

If you’re outside the United States

The overwhelming majority of individuals chosen for the Diversity Visa program are residing outside the United States. They will need to pursue their green card application through the U.S. consulate in their country of origin. Upon learning about the availability of a visa, it is advisable to promptly complete and submit Form DS-260 to the National Visa Center. Once your application is reviewed and processed, it will be transmitted to the U.S. consulate, where a visa interview will be scheduled. If you satisfy all the necessary criteria, you will receive approval for your immigrant visa during the interview.

If you’re in the United States

If you find yourself in the United States under a temporary immigration status, commonly referred to as “non-immigrant status,” at the time of winning the Diversity Visa lottery in 2024, you’ll need to seek permanent residency by applying for a green card through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This involves submitting Form I-485. It’s important to promptly file your application once a visa becomes accessible, as determined by the visa bulletin.

Avoiding Scams

Unfortunately, the Diversity Visa program is at times exploited by fraudulent individuals seeking to deceive aspiring immigrants. To safeguard yourself from common scams associated with the Diversity Visa, consider the following tips:

• Participating in the Diversity Visa lottery incurs no cost. Individuals who seek payment on behalf of the Department of State are attempting to deceive hopeful immigrants.
• The Department of State does not send notifications to winners through postal mail or email; the sole method to determine if you have been chosen is by verifying your application’s status using the Entrant Status Check.

Participating in the Diversity Visa lottery resembles entering any typical lottery – the chances of winning are relatively low. However, if luck is on your side, it can provide an opportunity to immigrate to the United States, even if you lack family or employment connections. On the other hand, if you’re married to a U.S. citizen, pursuing a marriage-based green card application is almost certainly the more favorable choice.

Diversity Visa FAQs

Am I eligible for the green card lottery if I’m married to a U.S. citizen or have other family in the United States?

If you’re married to a U.S. citizen, you can still participate in the Diversity Visa lottery. However, there’s limited benefit in doing so, as you will typically have a quicker path to the United States by pursuing a green card through marriage instead.

If you have a family member who could potentially sponsor your green card, it may still make sense to participate in the Diversity Visa lottery. Certain family-based immigration categories, such as the siblings of U.S. citizens, have lengthy waiting times, and winning the Diversity Visa lottery could offer a faster route to coming to the United States.

How many Diversity Visas will go to each eligible country?

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) employs a formula specified in Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to determine the allotment of Diversity Visas for each country. It is ensured that no single country can receive more than 7% of the annual total of available Diversity Visas.

Is there a minimum age to apply for a Diversity Visa?

There is no specified minimum age criterion; however, having a high school education or relevant work experience usually renders individuals under the age of 18 ineligible to apply.

How long does it take to get a Diversity Visa?

Green card lottery winners typically receive their notifications about seven months after submitting their applications. The government may require up to 14 months to arrange your visa interview and issue the visa itself, depending on the timing of your application submission.

Can I enter the Diversity Visa lottery if I’m in the United States?

Certainly, you can participate in the green card lottery from any location, even if you are already in the United States.

Can my spouse and I each submit separate entries?

Certainly, both spouses can individually enter the Diversity Visa lottery. If one of the spouses is chosen, the other spouse will be eligible to obtain a green card as a dependent.

What if I’ve lost my confirmation number?

To access the Entrant Status Check, which allows you to determine if you’ve been selected, you’ll require your confirmation number. If you happen to misplace your confirmation number, you can recover it by providing the email address you used during the registration for the lottery.

How much does it cost to enter the green card lottery?

Participation in the Diversity Visa lottery is free of charge. Nonetheless, if you are chosen and decide to pursue a Diversity Visa application, you will be required to cover the obligatory green card application expenses.

Why was the Diversity Visa lottery established?

The Diversity Visa program, initiated by the Immigration Act of 1990, was created with the aim of enhancing the variety of immigrants entering the United States. Traditionally, a select group of nations has accounted for the majority of immigrants to the United States. In response, Congress established the Diversity Visa program to boost immigration from smaller and less-represented countries that typically send fewer immigrants to the United States.