The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, also known as the DV Lottery or Green Card Lottery, is a United States government lottery program that makes a limited number of immigrant visas available every year to people meeting certain eligibility requirements. The program was established by the Immigration Act of 1990 and allows those from countries with low immigration rates to the United States to enter for a chance to apply for a U.S. immigrant visa. The program is administered by the U.S. Department of State and the winners are selected at random by a computer.
To be eligible for the DV Lottery, applicants must be from an eligible country and meet certain education or work experience requirements. The list of eligible countries may change each year, and the U.S. Department of State publishes detailed instructions for entering the DV Program. The entry period for the lottery occurs almost a year earlier than the fiscal year when the immigrant visas will be given, and the entry form is submitted electronically on the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website during the specified registration period.
The DV Lottery is free to enter, and there is no fee to register for the DV Program. However, if an applicant is selected and chooses to apply for a Diversity Visa, they will need to pay the mandatory green card application fees. The winners and their immediate families receive green cards, and most lottery winners reside outside the United States and immigrate through consular processing and issuance of an immigrant visa.
