Registrations for US Diversity Visa program 'Green Card' now open

by Staff Writer 04-10-2018 | 10:43 AM

Registration period for the US Diversity Visa program, better known as the 'Green Card Lottery' for Fiscal Year 2020 (DV-2020) was opened yesterday (October 3). Applications will be accepted until November 6, 2018 (12 pm EST). The annual program is administered by the US Department of State. It makes available 55,000 permanent resident visas (green cards) available through a lottery system to citizens in countries with a low number of immigrants in the USA. Those who register for the lottery will be able to know if they've won in May 2019 - when the results are made available on the US State Department website. Winners will be eligible to migrate to the United States along with their spouses and minor children beginning in January 2020, provided they pass mandatory background checks and interviews at their respective US embassies.

Requirements to participate in the Diversity Visa program:

Applicant must have been born in an eligible country.
Applicant should have at least a high school education or its equivalent, or two years of work experience in the last five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform.

The State Department urges anyone who does not meet both of the above requirements to not submit an entry, as anyone who does not meet the criteria will not be granted a green card even if they win the lottery. Among the information needed to complete the entry include: Name, Gender, Date of Birth, City and Country of Birth, Entrant Photo (including those of the applicant’s spouse and children), Mailing Address, and Marital Status. Full eligibility criteria and instructions are available here:

travel.state.gov

The State Department also says entries are only accepted online directly on the State Department website (www.dvlottery.state.gov), and urges applicants to complete the applications themselves and not use “visa consultants”, “visa agents” or other third parties. Applications are only accepted at www.dvlottery.state.gov.