The U.S. Department of State has announced that registration for the 2019 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2019), also known as the Green Card Lottery, will commence at noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), Tuesday, October 3, 2017. Registration will close at noon, EDT, Tuesday, November 7, 2017. Applications must be submitted electronically using the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form (E-DV Entry Form or DS-5501), which will be found online at dvlottery.state.gov during the registration period. Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Instructions for completing the E-DV and additional information are available here.
Established in 1990, the DV lottery provides lawful permanent resident status for a class of immigrants known as “diversity immigrants,” for individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. For Fiscal Year 2019, 50,000 Diversity Visas (DVs) will be available.
Applicants are selected through a randomized computer drawing, and must meet the following eligibility requirements to qualify for a diversity visa:
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They must have been born in one of the listed countries; and
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They must have a high school education or its equivalent, defined as successful completion of a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education, or two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience to perform.
For DV-2019, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply, because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States in the previous five years:
Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.
Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible.
While the long-term fate of the DV lottery program is uncertain, it is currently in effect and the Department of State will begin the FY2019 lottery process in October, as described above.
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