6 tips to successfully win US Green card lottery
The green card lottery, also known as the Diversity Immigrant Visa, is a U.S. government lottery program for receiving the United States Permanent Resident Card. The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program was established in 1990 to encourage immigration to the U.S. from a wider variety of countries. The number of diversity visas was originally limited to 55,000 per fiscal year but decreased to 50,000 per year starting in 2000.
The program is known as the “diversity lottery” because visa recipients are randomly selected from the pool of qualified entries. “Winning” this lottery does not guarantee entry into the U.S., but rather provides the individual an opportunity to apply for the Diversity Visa.
Eligibility
Nationals of low-admission countries, those with fewer than 50,000 natives admitted to the U.S. in the last five years, are eligible to enter the diversity lottery. Generally, natives of China, India, and Mexico are not eligible for the lottery. Currently, most of the low-admission countries are in Europe and Africa. To qualify for the diversity visa, one needs only to be from one of the eligible countries and have a high school degree or a certain amount of work experience. You also must not be subject to any of the grounds of inadmissibility to the United States.
Between ten and 20 million people apply each year for the 50,000 available diversity visas. Because the demand is so much higher than the supply, most people are denied simply because they do not “win” the lottery by chance. Your application may, however, be disqualified or denied somewhere along the way for other reasons.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) groups countries into six regions: Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, North America, and South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. USCIS then calculates each region’s annual diversity visa allotment using recent immigration statistics and an allocation formula.
To be eligible for a diversity visa, the applicant or the applicant’s spouse must be a native of one of the qualifying countries. The individual must also be admissible to the U.S. under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Additionally, the individual must have a high school education (or equivalent) or at least two years of recent qualifying work experience. Eligible individuals have a short time frame to apply electronically each year.
6 tips to successfully win the US Green card lottery or DV lottery
1. Check your eligibility
The first step is to Check your native country’s eligibility on the Official site of the US state website. Only countries with currently low natural immigration rates to the US are permitted to apply for the program. Eligible countries may vary by year, so be sure your country is approved. Eligible countries in 2021 are listed below.
2. Pay attention to details
The smallest typos, omissions, and associated errors in data input can and will disqualify you from participating in the Green Card Lottery. Criteria for photo uploads is also extremely precise, with many people being automatically disqualified for even the most minor of oversights. Also, make sure you submitted your green card lottery application before November 9, 2021, as the Applications for the DV 2023 lottery or Fiscal Year 2023 (DV-2023) are accepted until November 9, 2021, only.
If you want to succeed in the DV Lottery, make sure you stick to all of the DV Lottery photo rules. Here is your summarized DV Lottery photo checklist:
Requirements |
|
|---|---|
Background |
Bright and neutral |
Head size |
The face (from chin to hair) must be around 50% of the total height of the photo. |
Head position |
Straight look into the camera |
Light |
Must not be overexposed or underexposed. No shadows! |
Digital editing |
Not recommended |
Face |
Must not be covered by hair. The facial expression should be neutral. |
Headgear |
Not permitted except for religious reasons |
Glasses |
Not permitted |
Picture size |
51x51mm |
Resolution |
600x600 px |
File size |
Maximum 240 KB |
Format |
JPG, JPEG |
Photo age |
The photo must not be verifiably older than six months. |
3. Enlist the help of a third-party immigration service
Enlist the help of a third-party immigration service to ensure your application’s eligibility for the Green card lottery or DV lottery. Private entities such as the Global USA Green Card Organization (GUSGC) guarantees full Lottery participation by thoroughly examining all aspects of your application, and by adhering to the US State Department’s exact regulations.
4. Passport for DV lottery
In June 2019, the US authorities extended the rules for participation in the DV Lottery or green card lottery. Since then, the following details from a valid passport are now also required to participate:
- Passport number
- Passport expiration date
- Issuing country
However, this data is only required from the applicant and not from the family members. The passport must be valid at least until the end of the registration period which is usually at the beginning of November each year. If your passport expires before the DV lottery results are announced, please keep your invalidated passport or at least a copy of it.
5. List Your Spouse and/or Children on Your Application
You must include all requested information related to your spouse and children (under the age of 21) on your application, whether or not they intend to immigrate to the U.S. with you. This includes all your adopted children and stepchildren. You must also include the children of spouses you are no longer married to.
Failure to list your spouse and all your children will result in the automatic disqualification of your diversity visa lottery application.
6. Avoid Duplications
The most important thing to remember while submitting an application for the green card lottery or DV lottery is submitting More Than One Lottery Application in the Same Registration Period. If you submit more than one application for the diversity lottery during one open registration period, your applications will all be rejected. While you cannot submit two applications under your name, spouses can each submit their own application and list their spouse as a derivative. This will increase each spouse’s chances of being selected, even though each person can apply only once. Take care to avoid these things when applying for the diversity lottery immigration program.
That’s the end of the article for more such articles from us, Stay tuned!
Interested in renting or buying a property in the US, head on to findproperties.us