What is Green Card Lottery or Diversity Immigrant Visa Program?
United States, in the year 1990, introduced a Visa Lottery program known as the "Diversity Visa" or "Green Card Lottery". The purpose of the program was to promote diversity in the United States by giving citizens of other countries to obtain United States permanent resident visas or green cards.
What is a Green Card?
A Green Card is a permanent US immigration visa which entitles the holder of
the Green Card the benefits of working, living, and playing permanently in the
United States of America. There is no time limit on the Green Card if you are
residing in the USA. Any individual in lawful possession of a Green Card has the
same rights, obligations, and benefits of an American citizen. However, that
individual will not be able to vote. If you like visiting the USA and wish to
stay longer if not permanently, the Green Card offers the security of knowing
you can permanently reside in the USA.
How do I enter the Green Card Lottery?
Paper entries are no longer accepted and all entries are required to be filed
electronically. The only way to enter the Green Card Lottery is to apply online
- either through a respected service such as
usadvservices.com or
by visiting the US State Department website.
All you have to do is enter and be in to win a Green Card. Applicants can submit
their own forms themselves or they may have a representative such as usadvservices.com
submit the application on their behalf. The key to ensuring your application
is not rejected outright for some minor submission, guideline, or requirement
error, usadvservices.com guarantees to review and ensure sufficient and timely
filing of your application to the DV program.
How many people apply for the Green Card Lottery each year?
It is difficult to predict the number of people who would apply for this year's DV Program. The U.S. Department of State received 8.7 million entries last year, of which the Department of State rejected over 2.5 million entries for not complying with the guidelines and regulations.
Based on historical data, we anticipate that over 12 million people would send in their entries for this year's DV Program.
How many applicants win the Green Card lottery?
By law, the Diversity Lottery Program makes available a maximum of 55,000 Green Cards each year to eligible persons. Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act (NCARA) passed by Congress in November 1997 stipulates that 5,000 of the 55,000 annually-allocated diversity visas will be made available for use under the NCARA program. The actual reduction of the limit to 50,000 began with DV-2000 and remains in effect for current year DV program.
Does the Department of State specify a minimum age to apply for the Green Card lottery?
The Department of State has not stated a minimum age for applications. However, the education and work experience criteria effectively disqualify applicants under 18 years of age.
Are there any limitations on the number of entries I can send in for the lottery?
Yes. An individual can send only one application. If the Department of State finds out that the applicant has sent more than one entries in one year, the applicant is automatically disqualified. However, the applicant can apply for the Diversity Visa Lottery every year.
Would I be eligible to participate if I am in the U.S. on H-1B?
Yes. You would be eligible if you satisfy all the Green Card Lottery eligibility criteria.
How do I show my high school credentials or training experience?
Documentary proof of successful completion of education or sufficient
training are not needed at the time the application is entered, but will be
necessary upon being selected by the consular office.
I am currently in the United States, am I still eligible to apply for the
Green Card Lottery?
Yes, you may apply for the Green Card Lottery whether you are in the United
States or another country as long as you meet the requirements for applying.
Can I reapply every year for the lottery to be considered?
Yes. You can reapply every year as long as your country is eligible to participate in the diversity visa program. VisaPro offers you the service to save your data and send every year until you get selected.
Can my spouse also submit an application?
Yes, if your spouse is qualified, he/she can also submit a separate application. If either of you wins the lottery, the other is entitled to derivative status. You cannot, however, sign for each other, i.e., the husband must sign his application and the wife must sign hers.
Does winning a green card allow me United States citizenship?
Yes, after living in the United States for 5 years (continuously) you will be
eligible for US citizenship. You are not required to become a citizen but may do
so if you wish.
If I do not win this year can I enter future Green Card Lottery Programs?
Unless your country becomes disqualified from the Diversity Visa Lottery
Program, you will be able to enter the Green Card Lottery each year it is
offered. Each year certain countries are disqualified from the Green Card
Lottery due to high rates of immigration to the United States in the prior
years. (Countries are disqualified from the Green Card Lottery if they have over
50,000 immigrants to the US over the preceding 5 years).
What are the basic requirements for submitting an application to the
greencard lottery?
You are required to have a high school education (defined as 12 years in a
primary and secondary school) OR 2 years training in a job that requires 2 years
training. You are also required to be a native of a qualifying country. Under
certain circumstances you will be allowed to claim the nativity of either your
spouse or parent(s). You are required to complete and submit the application
within the small window of time allocated at the end of the year by the State
Department.
What family members must be included in my Green Card Lottery application?
The Green Card Lottery application must include your spouse. The application
must also include all biological (natural) children and any legally adopted
children, who are unmarried and under the age of 21 at the time the application
is filed. The exception is for those children who are already US citizens or
permanent residents. You are required to provide this information regarding your
child even if you are no longer legally married to the child's parent, the child
does not currently live with you, and/or the child will not immigrate with you.
Children over the age of 21 years and/or married children will not qualify for
the Green Card Lottery. If you fail to list any and all children under the age
of 21 years and unmarried, your application will be disqualified.
Do I have to submit pictures of my spouse and children?
Yes, the picture requirement applies to all people involved that will
eventually and potentially be obtaining permanent residence status (green
cards). If you are married with children under 21 years of age, it is assumed
they will be coming with you and therefore will all be required to submit the
photographs as required.
Can applying for the US Green Card Lottery affect my other USA visas or work
permits?
No, applying for the US Green Card Lottery cannot affect any other visas you
may be interested in applying for. The US Green Card Lottery is a random
selection process and by entering an application, you give yourself a chance at
being selected. If you are already applying for a US work permit or visa, you
should also apply for the Green Card Lottery because it will give you a chance
at being awarded permanent residence status in the USA.
If I am selected in the Diversity Visa Program am I still required to
fulfill the eligibility requirements under US Immigration Law?
YES, being selected in the Green Card Lottery still requires an applicant to
fulfill those requirements set forth under US Law.
Where do I sign my application? Is my signature required?
Due to the nature of digitalizing the application process, the US State
Department no longer requires the applicants signature. You may enter the Green
Card Lottery without signing any documents.
How do I enter the Green Card Lottery?
Paper entries are no longer accepted and all entries are required to be filed
electronically. The only way to enter the Green Card Lottery is to
apply online -
either through a respected service such as usadvservices.com or by visiting the US
State Department website.
All you have to do is enter and be in to win a
Green Card. Applicants can submit their own forms themselves or they may have a
representative such as usadvservices.com submit the application on their behalf.
The key to ensuring your application is not rejected outright for some minor
submission, guideline, or requirement error, usadvservices.com guarantees to review
and ensure sufficient and timely filing of your application to the Diversity Visa
program.
What is the process after I complete the usadvservices.com online application?
usadvservices.com has been designed with ease of use for you, the applicant.
With all the information and photo requirements submitted, usadvservices.com
reviews the file for each required element. usadvservices.com then submits the
application to the US government through the required electronic registration
and submission process. Each of your applications will be reviewed and filed by
our immigration experts and submitted within the window of time mandated by the
Department of State.
At this point you will be in entered into the
DV Lottery and have a chance at winning a Green Card.
The entries
will be received at the Kentucky Consular Center and upon receipt will be
individually numbered according to each region.
At the end of the
registration period, a computer will randomly select entries for each geographic
region. All entries received during the registration period will have an equal
chance of being selected within each geographic region. Selected entries will be
sent notification and either usadvservices.com can be notified or you specifically
with further visa application instructions. The randomly selected applicants are
immediately notified by the lottery center.
The lottery center rejects all applications that do not follow the prescribed
format or have all of the required information. All applications received before
or after the mail in period are disqualified.
How do I show my high school credentials or training experience?
Documentary proof of successful completion of education or sufficient
training are not needed at the time the application is entered, but will be
necessary upon being selected by the consular office.
How will I be notified?
You will be notified by usadvservices.com if you have been selected. It will be
important for you to respond immediately upon receiving notice that you have
been selected so that you give yourself the best chance at being awarded the
green card at the earliest.
Will I be notified if I don't win?
The US Department of State (The governmental US Immigration body that
oversees the greencard lottery) does not notify people if they are not selected
to go forward as a lottery winner. Individuals and families are only notified if
they "win" the greencard lottery.
What does the application filing and processing fee cover?
usadvservices.com collates, reviews, and electronically files the application
for the DV Green Card Lottery Program. The application fee covers the
processing, review, and electronic filing of the application and ensures that
all requirements and specifications (both form and format) are met.
usadvservices.com also offers the applicant the convenience of being able to submit
their photographs in multiple ways (upload, email, or mail your photos). We will
convert any electronic (digital) photographs into the correct format required by
the Department of State and can digitalize any hard copy (film) photographs sent
to us. usadvservices.com makes the process as easy as possible including many ways
to submit the photograph requirement to us. Once submitted we will take care of
the rest.
Once you have been selected (by the Department of State's
Kentucky Consular Center), timeliness in responding is very important. usadvservices.com
will contact you by phone, fax, email, and/or mail immediately upon
receiving notification of you being selected. Your timely response will give you
a better chance at winning a Green Card, since they are awarded to the first
50,000 people that respond to the notification of selection.
If I do not win this year can I enter future Green Card Lottery Programs?
Unless your country becomes disqualified from the Diversity Visa Lottery
Program, you will be able to enter the Green Card Lottery each year it is
offered. Each year certain countries are disqualified from the Green Card
Lottery due to high rates of immigration to the United States in the prior
years. (Countries are disqualified from the Green Card Lottery if they have over
50,000 immigrants to the US over the preceding 5 years).
How do I submit the photograph requirement?
After you submit your application to us, you will be asked to send us your
photograph(s). You can submit your photograph(s) 3 different ways:
- Mail us your photograph later
- E-mail us a digital photograph now or later
- Transfer your photograph now through our Web site using our Easy Photo Upload
The US Department of State is very specific with regard to the
technical photo requirements. These requirements vary from how the picture
should be taken, the background, and acceptable positions, to the technical
specifications as to color, size, and electronic file type. Please see the Photo
Requirements page for more information.
Can I submit more than one application?
Only one application per person is allowed. In fact by submitting two or more
applications, a person automatically disqualifies themselves from the lottery.
You can only submit one application per individual. usadvservices.com will review
the information sent to us, ensure the picture is adequate, and file the
application for you. All you need to do is complete the application information
questionnaire and be in to win a Green Card.
Does submitting one application for myself and one application for my spouse increase my chances of winning?
The short answer is YES. By submitting an application for both yourself and
your spouse, you in effect double your chances of being selected. The reason for
this is that if either you or your spouse is selected, you will both be eligible
to come to the USA and take up permanent residence within the USA.
What are the basic requirements for submitting an application to the greencard lottery?
You are required to have a high school education (defined as 12 years in a
primary and secondary school) OR 2 years training in a job that requires 2 years
training. You are also required to be a native of a qualifying country. Under
certain circumstances you will be allowed to claim the nativity of either your
spouse or parent(s). You are required to complete and submit the application
within the small window of time allocated at the end of the year by the State
Department.
What family members must be included in my Green Card Lottery application?
The Green Card Lottery application must include your spouse. The application
must also include all biological (natural) children and any legally adopted
children, who are unmarried and under the age of 21 at the time the application
is filed. The exception is for those children who are already US citizens or
permanent residents. You are required to provide this information regarding your
child even if you are no longer legally married to the child's parent, the child
does not currently live with you, and/or the child will not immigrate with you.
Children over the age of 21 years and/or married children will not qualify for
the Green Card Lottery. If you fail to list any and all children under the age
of 21 years and unmarried, your application will be disqualified.
Do I have to submit pictures of my spouse and children?
Yes, the picture requirement applies to all people involved that will
eventually and potentially be obtaining permanent residence status (green
cards). If you are married with children under 21 years of age, it is assumed
they will be coming with you and therefore will all be required to submit the
photographs as required.
Why is there a $39.00 fee using your service compared to the free State Department website?
Entering the US Green Card Lottery through the US State Department is free.
But many entries (as many as 2 million) are rejected for an error that could
have been prevented if they had used usadvservices.com. For $30.00 USD, usadvservices.com
makes sure it will not happen to you. Each application will be reviewed
individually and if we have any questions we will contact you with those
questions to make sure your application is correct. We will then enter your
application into the Green Card Lottery within the specified State Department
time requirements. Included in the Fee is a Free airline ticket to the USA (with
a maximum value of US$600).
Why choose usadvservices.com instead of another Green Card Lottery Service?
There are many different companies providing assistance in applying for the
US Green Card Lottery, but none offer the full range of services and customer
care that usadvservices.com provides to its customers. We offer a personalized
service that independently and individually reviews each application. Each
application will be assigned to one our qualified immigration professionals and
reviewed to ensure that your application is not rejected and secure your chance
at winning a USA Green Card. All related questions for your specific situation
are answered by us (email us). We are the premiere online US Green Card Lottery
service because we understand that applying for permanent residence in another
country is both daunting and important. We will take the time to address your
concerns related to your specific situation. On top of that, we offer all
winners a FREE AIRLINE TICKET to the USA (with a maximum value of
600US$)
We are not affiliated with the US Government. Instead, we are a
private business offering Our Services and expertise to anyone interested in US
Immigration and most importantly entering the USA Green Card Lottery.
