What is the Diversity Visa Lottery (DV)?
The Immigration Act of 1990 created a new green card category to benefit people from countries that have low immigration to the United States. The goal of the program is to diversify the pool of immigrants entering the United States. The DV program grants 55,000 immigrant visas each year by random drawing (hence the term “lottery). The visas are divided among geographic regions . A greater number of visas will go to those regions that have lower immigration rates and no visas may be issued to countries that have sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. during the previous five years. DV applicants must have a high school education or its equivalent, or within five years have two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience. The DV registration period is usually between early October and early November of each year and successful registrants are usually notified between April and July of each year. Registrations submitted one y
