The Green Card Lottery FY 2024 Is Now Open: How to apply?

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Did you know? Online registration for the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (green card lottery) is now open for fiscal year 2024 (DV-2024) and will remain open until Tuesday, November 8, 2022, at 12 noon Eastern Standard Time. In this video attorney Jacob Sapochnick discusses what the diversity visa program is, who is eligible to register for DV-2024, and how you can apply.

Interested in learning whether you qualify? Just keep on watching.

Overview

What is the Diversity Visa Program?

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Program) administered by the Department of State is an annual green card lottery for individuals who are from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. If your country qualifies for the program, the government provides 50,000 immigrant visas that are up for grabs each year.

Those who register during the online registration period and are selected can immigrate to the United States through consular processing or by applying for adjustment of status with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) if they are residing in the United States. Adjustment of status filings must be completed by September 30 of the fiscal year the lottery pertains to. Visas cannot be carried over to the next fiscal year.

What are the requirements?

You are eligible to participate if you meet the following 3 requirements.

Requirement #1: You must be a native of a country with historically low rates of immigration to the United States to enter.

Click here for the complete list of countries eligible (p. 16 to 20).

If you are not a native of a country with historically low rates of immigration to the United States, there are two other ways you might be able to qualify.

  • Is your spouse a native of a country with historically low rates of immigration to the United States? If yes, you can claim your spouse’s country of birth – provided that you and your spouse are named on the selected entry, are found eligible and issued diversity visas, and enter the United States at the same time.
  • Are you a native of a country that does not have historically low rates of immigration to the United States, but in which neither of your parents was born or legally resident at the time of your birth? If yes, you may claim the country of birth of one of your parents if it is a country whose natives are eligible for the DV-2024 program.

Requirement #2: Each DV applicant must meet the education/work experience requirement of the DV program by having either:

  • at least a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of formal elementary and secondary education;

OR

  • two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to perform. The Department of State will use the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*Net Online database to determine qualifying work experience

Requirement #3: Passport Requirement: 

Beginning with entries for DV-2021, the Department of State’s regulations require all entrants to provide a valid passport number at the time of DV entry, unless they are unable to obtain a passport and fall under one of three limited exemptions (please read the DV-2024 instructions for the list of exemptions).

Passports must be valid for international travel. Internal passports, issued by some countries, are not valid for DV entry purposes.

Who is not eligible?

For DV-2024, natives of the following countries and areas are not eligible to apply, because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States in the previous five years:

  • Bangladesh
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • China (including Hong Kong SAR)
  • Colombia
  • Dominican Republic
  • El Salvador
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • India
  • Jamaica
  • Mexico
  • Nigeria
  • Pakistan
  • Philippines
  • Republic of Korea (South Korea)
  • United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam

Please note: Natives of Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible.

How and when can I apply if I am eligible?

Applicants can register for the diversity visa program online at www.dvprogram.state.gov starting now through November 8, 2022, at 12 noon Eastern Standard Time. The State Department will not accept incomplete entries or entries sent by any other means.

Registering online is completely free. Please note that submission of more than one entry in your name disqualifies you from participating.

After you submit a complete entry, you will see a confirmation screen containing your name and a unique confirmation number.  You must save and print this confirmation screen for your records.  

Please be mindful of scams. The online website where you can register for the Diversity Visa program is the official State Department website at www.dvprogram.state.gov and registration is free of charge.

Can I apply even if I am going through the green card process via PERM or EB-5?

Yes. The Diversity Visa program is a separate immigrant visa process. Eligible applicants may apply even if they are going through the PERM labor certification process or some other immigrant process such as the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program.

Where can I find more information about the DV Program? To read the DV-2024 program instructions please click here.

Need immigration help? If you would like to schedule a consultation with us, please text 619-483-4549 or call 619-819-9204.

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