Diversity Visa: Everything You Need to Know
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is responsible for issuing diversity visas, and these visas provide over 50,000 people with the opportunity to gain U.S citizen ship on an annual basis.
What Is a Diversity Visa?
Also known as the green card lottery, these diversity visas are issued through the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program. With them, over 50,000 people are given the chance to become U.S. residents.
Basically, people are randomly chosen from countries with low U.S. immigration rates. Also, the process of applying to this is usually available for a short time span.
In addition to this, you should remember that you’re not automatically an immigrant if you get chosen for the diversity visa.
It is still important for lottery winners to apply and meet the necessary criteria.
Eligibility for the Diversity Visa
In order for you to successfully apply for the green card lottery, there are some requirements that you need to meet. Some of them include:
- You need a high school education, or at the very least, its equivalent. You should also have at least two years’ experience in a career that requires at least two years of training. Lastly, you should be admissible thanks to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
- You should be from, or have a spouse who is from, a country that is qualified for the diversity visa lottery.
- You should also submit your application electronically.
A computer selects lottery winners at random, and the winners will be identified by the State Department. All winners will be required to file paperwork that shows their eligibility for legal residency, the interviews are arranged. As a lottery winner, you are allowed to bring your spouse and minor children into the country as dependents.
Who Has Received Diversity Visas in the Past?
Yearly, it has been discovered that 4 percent of all the applicants for permanent residency in the United States are as a result of diversity visas. Back in 2009, green cards were provided to 47,879 diversity visa winners. Out of that number, 26,243 applied, there were 10,157 spouses, and 11,479 were applicants’ children.
In 2010, 49,763 diversity visa winners and other families received green cards. 74 percent of these people were older than 21, and over half were male.
Diversity Visa Versus Green Card
The diversity visa is an immigrant visa that is given to people who have “won’ the diversity visa lottery and whose visa applications have been approved.
According to the lottery system, visas are given to 50,000 people from countries that have low U.S. immigration rates within the past 5 years. However, visas aren’t given to everyone who is drawn from the lottery. Certain requirements will still need to be met in this instance.
A green card is the photo identity card that is issued to people who are now regarded as “lawful permanent U.S.S residents.” People who gain entry into the country with the use of this visa usually become permanent residents, and their green cards are issued shortly after this.
Applying for the Diversity Visa
- Step 1: Check for your qualification by taking this quick test.
- Step 2: As soon as the registration period has been opened, you will need to log on to the website of the U.S. Department of State to complete your registration. Ensure that the picture you use was taken within the last six months, and that it meets all of the laid-out requirements in the application
- Step 3: When your application is complete, you’ll get a confirmation with your name and a unique confirmation number. Print the page with the confirmation number and keep it safe. You’ll need that number later to access your visa status.
Excluded Countries from This Year’s DV Lottery?
People who are from the countries listed below are unable to make applications because over 50,000 citizens from there have immigrated into the United States within half a decade.
- Colombia
- Canada
- China (mainland-born)
- The United Kingdom, and the territories dependent on it (with the exception of Northern Ireland)
- Haiti
- Ecuador
- Nigeria
- El Salvador
- Brazil
- South Korea
- Bangladesh
- Jamaica
- Dominican Republic
- India
- Pakistan
- Peru
- Vietnam
- The Philippines
- Mexico
Eligibility also covers applicants who are born in Macau SAR, Hong Kong SAR, and Taiwan. You’re considered to be a native of the country you were born in. however, note that there are exceptions to the rule, so you can contact a lawyer if you’re not sure about your qualification.