Diversity Lottery
If you’re a citizen of a country with low rates of immigration to the United States, consider applying for permanent United States residency with the Diversity Visa (DV) Program.
The DV Program issues 55,000 immigrant visas annually through a random, computer-generated lottery process run by the U.S. Department of State (DOS). If you’re selected to receive a diversity visa, also called a permanent residence visa or green card, you’ll be able to legally reside, work in the public and private sectors and go to school in the United States, as well as to enter and exit the country at will. Your spouse and unwed children younger than 21 also would be granted permanent residency.
Other benefits of a green card include access to public education, social security and public health care, among other programs and benefits. You’ll also be responsible for filing a tax return each year. Additionally, the diversity visa won’t affect your ability to apply for American citizenship at a later point in time, should you choose to do so.
To qualify for the DV Program, or green card lottery, you must meet at least one of two qualifications. The first qualification is a high school diploma or the equivalent. In the United States, this means you’ve successfully completed a 12-year (or equivalent) of elementary and secondary education. You also can qualify if you’ve worked for at least two of the last five years in an occupation that requires a minimum of two years of training or experience.
Established as part of the 1990 Immigration Act as a means to diversify the American population, the DV Program gives residents of countries with low rates of immigration to the United States the opportunity to gain permanent American residency. The DV Program accepts approximately 110,000 applications each year to be entered into the lottery. Half of those applicants will go on to receive visas. Of the 55,000 visas issued through the lottery, 5,000 are designated for use under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA).
You can apply to the DV program directly through the DOS website or through a third-party site, such as USA Green Card Lottery. Both sites have electronic applications, as well as information about specific requirements and which countries are eligible (or ineligible) for the program.
The DV lottery may seem like a long shot, but when it comes to attaining your goals – making your dreams come true – it’s worth taking a chance. Immigrating to America isn’t easy; it takes a lot of hard work, ingenuity and persistence – and just a little bit of luck.