So in terms of US Immigration there is probably as much mis-information about this process as there is about anything in the US Immigration system and that is saying something given how complex it is!
At it’s core, the Diversity Visa Lottery (commonly known as the Green Card Lottery) gives 55,000 permanent residency visas to foreign national to come to live and work in the US.
There is NO cost to be in this lottery and many fraudulent sites charge you saying they will provide extra service by doing this for you at a fee and resubmit the application each year if it is unsuccessful.
ANY SITE THAT CHARGES YOU FOR THE PROCESS IS A SCAM!
You do not need outside help to fill in this application as it is very simple and the only reason help may be required is in the case of a language barrier as generally the forms have only been in English.
If you have dependent spouses and/or children, they will be given a derivative visa should you be successful in the lottery.
The way the system works is;
- Applications usually open from early October to early December online (internet is the ONLY way to submit entry)
- Winners are announced vis MAIL only from about May to September the following year
- Your visa then applies from the year after onwards
In other words apply in 2009, learn of success in 2010, visa takes effect in 2011
So in essence this year Diversity Visa Lottery will be call DV-2011 as it for visas that will take effect from 2011.
This is the information you have to give on application.
1. FULL NAME – Last/Family Name, First Name, Middle name
2. DATE OF BIRTH – Day, Month, Year
3. GENDER – Male or Female
4. CITY WHERE YOU WERE BORN
5. COUNTRY WHERE YOU WERE BORN – The name of the country should be that which is currently in use
for the place where you were born.
6. COUNTRY OF ELIGIBILITY OR CHARGEABILITY FOR THE DV PROGRAM – Your country of eligibility
will normally be the same as your country of birth. Your country of eligibility is not related to where you live. If you were born in a country that is not eligible for the DV program, please review the instructions to see if there is another option for country chargeability available for you.
7. ENTRY PHOTOGRAPH(S) – See the technical information on photograph specifications. Make sure you include photographs of your spouse and all your children, if applicable.
8. MAILING ADDRESS – In Care Of, Address Line 1, Address Line 2, City/Town, District/Country/Province/State, Postal Code/Zip Code, and Country
9. COUNTRY WHERE YOU LIVE TODAY
10. PHONE NUMBER (optional)
11. E-MAIL ADDRESS (optional)
12. WHAT IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATION YOU HAVE ACHIEVED, AS OF TODAY? You must indicate which one of the following represents your own highest level of educational achievement: (1) Primary school only, (2) High school, no degree, (3) High school degree, (4) Vocational school, (5) Some university courses, (6) University degree, (7) Some graduate level courses, (8) Master degree, (9) Some doctorate level courses, and (10) Doctorate degree
13. MARITAL STATUS – Unmarried, Married, Divorced, Widowed, or Legally Separated
14. NUMBER OF CHILDREN – Entries MUST include the name, date, and place of birth of your spouse and all natural children, as well as all legally-adopted children and stepchildren who are unmarried and under the age of 21 on the date of your entry (do not include children who are already U.S. citizens or Legal Permanent Residents), even if you are no longer legally married to the child’s parent, and even if the spouse or child does not currently reside with you and/or will not immigrate with you. Note that married children and children 21 years or older are not eligible for the diversity visa; however, U.S. law protects children from “aging out” in certain circumstances. If your electronic DV entry is made before your unmarried child turns 21, and the child turns 21 before visa issuance, he/she will be treated as though he/she were under 21 for visa-processing purposes. Failure to list all children who are eligible will result in disqualification of the principal applicant and refusal of all visas in the case at the time of the visa interview.
15. SPOUSE INFORMATION – Name, Date of Birth, Gender, City/Town of Birth, Country of Birth, and Photograph. Failure to list your spouse will result in disqualification of the principal applicant and refusal of all visas in the case at the time of the visa interview.
16. CHILDREN INFORMATION – Name, Date of Birth, Gender, City/Town of Birth, Country of Birth, and Photograph: Include all children declared in #14 above.
So as you can the information required is pretty straightforward, particularly for an English speaker.
For the first time ever in the DV-2010 lottery last year, applicants were told immediately if their photo did not conform to the relevant standards (pretty similar to passport photo standards), and could re-submit their application.
Also last year, for the first time, applicants were told that if they kept the confirmation page after submitting their application, they could check online in mid-2010 the success or failure of them winning the lottery. This meant non-winners of the lottery could confirm that was the case for the first time and before that there was no notification and no way for you to confirm.
Also as further enrty requirements you should check;
Native of a country whose natives qualify: In most cases, this means the country in which you were born. However, there are two other ways you may be able to qualify. First, if you were born in a country whose natives are ineligible but your spouse was born in a country whose natives are eligible; you can claim your spouse’s country of birth, provided both you and your spouse are on the selected entry, are issued visas, and enter the U.S. simultaneously. Second, if you were born in a country whose natives are ineligible, but neither of your parents was born there or resided there at the time of your birth, you may
claim nativity in one of your parents’ country of birth, if it is a country whose natives qualify for the DV-2010 program.
Education or Work Experience: You must have either a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education; OR two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience to perform. The U.S. Department of Labor’s O*Net OnLine database will be used to determine qualifying work experience.
If you cannot meet either of these requirements, you should NOT submit an entry to the DV program.
The main list your country would be ineligible is because natives of that country sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the previous five years disqualifying them from that year’s Green Card Lottery.
Essentially the Diversity Visa Lottery is to ensure a more diverse population base in the US.
For DV-2010 whose application perion was last year in 2008, these countries natives were disqualified from entry.
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, and VIETNAM.
Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible.
For DV-2010, Russia has returned to the list of eligible countries. Kosovo has also been added to the list of eligible countries. No countries have been removed from the list of eligible countries for DV-2010.
For you to get an idea this is list of country winners for Green Card Lottery 2009 (known as DV-2009)
I hope this post helps clear up myths about the process and don’t forget to checkout the State Department visa lottery website for more information about this current year’s process.
CJ
i hope to work in usa
Good Luck Heba !
please i what woke for US all my life i have know body please i need your help i love US i read landscpa arch can i find help form u
Read the many posts here and that will give you most of the information you need. Just take action!
CJ
Hi,
Great blog. With the DV lottery, do you know if there are implications if you apply while you are on a non-immigration visa such as the E3?
Thank you so much for the complement.
The DV Lottery is separate and you should have no issues with your E3 visa. We have added an an addition to the What is the E-3 Visa post regarding the US law regarding the actual legislation relating to permanent residency and the E-3 visa,
CJ
i have dual citizenship will i qualify for dv in 2011.
Hi Zoe,
The main stumbling block for people qualifying is there nationality in the sense that if already too many people come from that country to the US they are excluded from the Lottery. What are your nationalities?
CJ
Hi. I’m a dual citizen of canada and syria. canada is on the list of countries ineligible for the lottery. Syria isn’t. Am I eligible? Thank you so much for your help.
Hi Canuck,
Usually it depends on where you were born. If you were born in Syria you should be fine. If you were born in Canada, and at the time you and one of your parents was NOT a permanent resident of Canada and are natives of Syria, you could also be fine. Otherwise you are most likely ineligible.
Good Luck,
CJ
I spend a lot of time reading blogs and I have to say I’m impressed with your posts. It’s refreshing to find a blog that has valuable content such as yours. I’ll be a regular reader from now on, you can count on it.
Thanks,
Dennis
Thanks for answering my question. Both my parents were actually non-permanent residents of Canada at the time of my birth (and just to clarify, I can actually claim native status of one of my parents if he or she was a non-resident of the ineligible country at the time of my birth in said country).
Hi. I am a dual citizen of Colombia and Germany. I was born in Colombia and at that time both my parents were permanent residents in Colombia. Does this mean I’m not eligible for the lottery?
Thanks for your help!
Hi Alex,
I apologize for the delay as I only just returned to the US now from overseas and am working my way through all the messages.
If Colombia is not eligible for the lottery in any particular year, then you may not be eligible.
CJ
this is a great blog.got a lot of facts from here.thanks to all of you
Edit: Website removed as we don’t mind web links here but you have to actually contribute to the discussion
I am having confusion regarding your description for point 14 that do not include children who are already U.S. citizens or Legal Permanent Residents. I ve two kids , one of them is born in US and he is now US citizen . so when I will be filling the form , I should not mention about him???
thanks for your swift reply
Hi Umra,
That is the rules of the application. The reason being that if your child is already a US citizen he does not need to be part of the Green Card Lottery as he already has permanent status in the US.
Good Luck,
CJ
Hiya,
Re: number 15, ‘spouse details’- my girlfriend and I have been together 11 years, so in Australia we are called ‘de-facto’, ie legally the same rights as a spouse.
I believe the USA doesn’t have a de-facto type status… Do I put down her as a ‘spouse’ or not? (we are both australian, and have the same address)
If we do put each other as ‘spouse’, can we both apply?
I don’t mind either way, just want to do the right thing and not get rejected!
Hi Nukie,
Yes in the US as far as foreigners and immigrants go, only heterosexual legal marriage counts. So your girlfriend should do a separate application and based on what you told me, neither of you should mark spouse unless you are married. If one of you wins, then the only way the other way can get in as well is to marry prior to your interview.
Good Luck,
CJ
As u see i have two word name (Masud Rana).
Now how does I put it on:- First name , middle name & last name :-
option 1) Masud ………….. Rana
2) masud rana ………….
Which option should i follow for DV Application
Plz help
Hi Masud,
If your first name is a two word name then it should be under first name and your family name is your last name. If ‘Rana’ is your family name, then it should be under last name.
CJ
Hi,
I want to clarify the “native” question; is the question only about where you were born, and nothing to do with citizenship? I was born in Saudi Arabia, but neither of my parents are Saudi Arabian (we were living there), my father is Japanese and mother is Australian. I do not have Saudi Arabian citizenship, only Australian. I have no connection to Saudi Arabia except that I was born there and lived there for less than a year, so given from what I understand about the definition of a “native”, do I still apply as a native of Saudi Arabia?
Also, do you need to show your birth certificate if you do get an interview?
Thanks
Hi Confused,
So yes in your case b/c at the time of your birth your parents were not permanent residents on Saudi Arabia, you have the option of applying under either of Saudi Arabia or any country your parents were citizens of at the time (so maybe Australia or Japan). In the end you have a choice. Since they are all eligible countries it probably does not matter.
You may have to take your birth certificate or some proof to your Green Card interview if you get that far given the unique nature of your situation.
Good Luck,
CJ
hello, thanks for blog , i find it very helpful for visitors,
as far my question goes, I am citizen of Kazakhstan and I wanted to ask if i can apply for this program, if i am already in US , and married to US citizen. due to financial situation i can not afford to proceed my paperwork to get green card and work permit, ..does it make me ineligible for this program?
any suggestions or replies will be appreciated,
thank you in advance,
Seth
Hi Seth,
If you are married to a US Citizen, it doesn’t explicitly make you ineligible for the program if you are from Kazakhstan. However you will have to mention this on your application and will no no doubt be asked about it in your interview, if you win. I would highly recommend finding some way to raise the money for your Marriage based Green Card as it will be far easier than the Green Card Lottery.
CJ
hello,and thank you for the information. I need your urgent help, I wonder if I can edit my name?I submited the Dvlottery 2011 application but later I found out that there was a problem in typing my name.please guide me is there any way that i can fix the problem?
Thank you so much
Hi Sabb,
If you have submitted your entry, you cannot edit any details. If you do end up winning, this is something that could be fixed in your US Consulate interview potentially.
CJ
Hi,
I have applied for DV 2011. If selected, I understand that my spouse will be allowed to immigrate as a derivative. Will he be allowed to work in the US with a derivative status?
Hi Neha,
Yes your spouse if approved will also get a Green card and be allowed to work.
CJ
Hi Elijah
I love two get the Diversity Visa (DV) or Green Card Lottery
Thank you so much god bless you
Hiya,
Im an Aussie, currently on a temporary work visa in London.
Ive just been notified as a lucky winner in the DV lottery and have submitted the further forms this week.
1) Just wondering if you have any advice or information of what the impact (if any) would be on my status as an Australian citizen, if i accept the US DV green card?
2) Do you know approx when the interviews commence?
3) If a green card is issued to me, when is the earliest/latest i can enter the US?
cheers,
AG
Hi,
I would like to apply for a green card so that I can be near my son who lives and works in the USA. I was born in the United Kingdom so I know my country is not eligible, but I could apply because my father was born in Cyprus, the problem is I have not seen my father for over 30 years and I don’t know if he is still alive, do I need proof that he was born in Cyprus? I have no idea how I can get this.
Also I have no proof of my education, I did finish school, but that was many years ago, and the school I went to no longer exists. Any advice please?
Hi,
My husband won DV Lottery and we are moving to US to get our green cards next month. I want to stay there because my children live there, but my husband who is the principal applicant is not sure about living in USA. My question is, after I receive my green card, will I still be his dependent or can I keep the green card and stay although he decides not to complete the terms of DV lottery and moves back home.
Hi, I also want to clarify the “native” question; is the question only about where you were born, and nothing to do with citizenship? I was born in Saudi Arabia, but neither of my parents are Saudi Arabian (both parents are used to work there for quite a while), and both are born in an ineligible country. I do not have Saudi Arabian citizenship and and I have no connection to Saudi Arabia whatsoever except that I was born there and lived there only during my childhood years. Do I still apply as a native of Saudi Arabia?
Thanks
Hi Michelle,
You can only apply via Cyprus in the Green Card Lottery if when you were born in the UK, your father was not a permanent resident or citizen of the UK. Otherwise the only eligible country is the UK. Yes you will have to prove it as well so if this is the case you would have to provide documentation including your birth certificate which possibly also states your father’s birthplace.
You do also need to prove finishing the equivalent of a US high school education so you will have to get that from the UK equivalent Education Department if that is where you did it.
Cj
Hi Anna,
There is no effect to your Australian citizenship status, even if you one day became a US citizen. The interviews commence for you after you receive the 2nd letter and it depends on your visa number and the processing times. The earliest you can enter the US would be October 1, 2010 and the latest September 30, 2011.
Cj
Hi Elsa,
First of all you wont be able to enter the US until after October 1 2010 if you are winners and only then following your interview and approval at the US Consulate. You receive your actual green cards in the mail 6-8 weeks after entering the US. If your husband does not go through this whole process and enter the US then you as a dependent would not be eligible as he is the primary applicant. However if he moves home after entering the US, then you should be fine.
Cj
Hi Jasmine,
Well you would apply as a native of Saudi Arabia as in this case it favors you given your parents are both from ineligible countries. Given your parents are not permanent residents or citizens of Saudi Arabia when you were born, you could also have applied under their nation of citizenship but in your case this would be useless.
Cj
Dear,
1- I was born in Saudi Arabia, then all my family moved to Yemen in 1990 and lived there permanently, and after that in the end of 2009, I came to Saudi Arabia with a new visa to work for a company with a two-year contract and it is extendable ( i.e I am a permanent resident), will my eligibility country be the same country of my birth? or will I claim eligibilty to my citizenship? All parents were born in Yemen.
Please be informed that my wife was born in Yemen.
2- I and my wife want to apply for the DV LOTTERY, (we have no kids) should I apply alone and add her to my e-dv entry form? and she applies alone and add me to her e-dv entry form? Will this way not make us disqualified? or each of us must apply alone or we should apply for e-dv entry form together?
3- What must I write in the following spaces? Where can I write the post box number in the mailing address?
* In Care Of : …………………………………………………………………
* Address Line 1: ……………………………………………………………..
* Address Line 2 : …………………………………………………………….
Immediate Action and reply will be highly appreciated!
Yours,
Abdullah
Hi,
I was born in india and my parents too as well. My parents work in Saudi Arabia and has been residing there since three decades. My wife was born in Saudi Arabia. Can I apply for DV program on her nativity or do we both have to apply. And should both of us get approved? Also, I am in US right now, have been on F-1 visa and will be on H-1b visa from october 2010(i have got approved). Do I also qualify for Employment based Green-card (EB-2) for Saudi-Arabia as country since my wife was born there and claim Green Card.(the line for india is very big).
thanks
Hi, I have double citizenships of Serbia and Hungary. Was born in Serbia. Both countries are eligible for the Green Card lottery. Can i list Hungary for country of eligibility for the Green Card lottery?
Hi Abduallah,
If at the time you were born in Saudi Arabia, one of your parents were still citizens of Yemen and not permanent residents of Saudi Arabia, then you could claim eligibility under either country. You could both apply separately with each of you as the spouse dependent on the other’s application.
Address line 1 you can write the PO Box address details.
Cj
Hi Aziz,
If your wife applies for the Green Card lottery and if you are the spouse then that is valid as she is eligible. You will always be viewed as Indian as far as EB-2 or the Green Card lottery is concerned.
Cj
Hi,
My spouse and self were born and reside in India. My mother was born in Saudi and lived there for several years although her nationality is Indian, am I eligible?
Thanks
Hi there, I have recently got a greencard and plan to travel to the US, however I am planning to marry my boyfriend in my native country before I go. Once we do this, can he get a greencard also? He is polish and his country is currently listed as ineligible to apply for the greencard. Thanks.
Hi,
I am an Australian citizen (passport holder), but born in India. My wife is also born in India and my parents were citizens of India when I was born. In that case am I eligible for the diversity lottery sytem? As per the info available I understand that I am not eligible but I have heard that now there have changed the rule for 2012 year applications and will be considering the country of current nationality as the country of person for application? Is it true?Correct me if I am wong. Thanks in advance.
i am an Indian but was born in Saudi..want to apply for us green card, most of my friends told me that i will get it in 1yrs because i was born in Saudi….my current visa is h1b and my employer wants to file my green card….so which category do i lie in and whats the procedure…
Hi, I am Canadian born and after 15 years living with my wife in Australia, an Australian citizen as well. I am better qualified than my wife for the application. She is an Australian with Australian born parents. I would not want to make an error on the application, so can you confirm that this situation is suitable for the 2013 lottery application.
“You can claim your spouse’s country of birth, provided both you and your spouse are on the selected entry, are issued visas, and enter the U.S. simultaneously”
thanks
Hi.
Can I apply for dv lottery and put my spouse as a derivative and at the same time get my spouse to apply for same and put me as a derivative?
I hope it wont nullify our applications.
Thanks to respond ontime
hi. i am on F-1 visa right now…and currently doing my Master’s in US and my native country is India.I am single.So is there any chance i can apply for this DV Green Card Lottery.