Green Card Lottery Begins October 1, 2014
September 29, 2014The State Department will begin accepting online registrations for the Fiscal Year 2016 Diversity Visa Lottery on Wednesday, October 1, 2014 at noon EDT. Foreign nationals who wish to enter the lottery have until Monday, November 3, 2014 at noon EST to file online. The lottery makes 50,000 green card numbers available each year through random selection. Entrants must have a high school education (or equivalent) or at least two years of qualifying work experience. Those born in the following countries are not eligible: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Nigeria, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam. Lottery applicants may include a spouse and children in their initial entries, or they may add a spouse and children after their initial registration. An individual who cannot register based on their own country of birth may qualify through a spouse born in an eligible country or through a parent’s country of birth. To register, entrants must submit an online form and a digital photo through the official DV lottery website at www.dvlottery.state.gov. For lottery instructions, see: http://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/DV-2016-Instructions-Translations/DV_2016_Instructions_English.pdf.
Only one entry is permitted per person. If multiple registrations are submitted on behalf of one person, all submissions will be disqualified. Lottery entries and digital photos that do not precisely conform to the instructions will be disqualified. Winners are chosen by random computer selection, with results being published on the official lottery website beginning on May 2, 2015. Applicants can learn whether they have been selected only by visiting the official website and entering their confirmation number, as the State Department does not notify entrants by letter, e-mail, fax, or telephone. If you have any questions about the DV lottery or desire the assistance of our firm in submitting an application, please let us know.