The US Green Card lottery is now open as the scheme is accepting applications for 2025.
The lottery, which is also known as the Diversity Immigrant Visa program, is a government initiative to provide a Permanent Residence Card to immigrants. Around 55,000 Diversity Visas are available annually as the programme aims to diversify the immigrant population in the US.
The applicants are chosen randomly and a whopping 11 million people apply for the lottery each year. In other words, fewer than one in 200 applicants are accepted, the Irish Star reports.
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It is free to enter but those selected in the lottery must pay a fee to continue the process. Here is everything you need to know about applying for the Green Card lottery:
When can I apply?
The registration period opened on October 4, 2023, and closes on November 7, 2023.
How do I apply?
Apply online here to the US Department of State. Postal applications are not accepted.
Can I enter more than once?
No. Submitting of more than one entry during the registration period will disqualify all entries. Entrants may also be disqualified for not completing the entry form correctly.
How much does it cost to enter?
It is free to enter the Green Card lottery. The US Department of State strongly encourages entrants to complete the entry form without a Visa Consultant, Visa Agent or other facilitator.
If your application is selected for a Green Card, you must pay a visa application fee prior to making the formal visa application.
Do I have to live in the US to apply?
No. Entrants may apply while in the US or another country.
What countries are eligible?
People born in Ireland are eligible to enter the Green Card lottery.
Natives of the following countries and areas are not eligible to apply because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the US in the previous five years:
Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, The People’s Republic of China (including mainland and Hong Kong born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Venezuela, and Vietnam.
What is the eligibility criteria?
There are two eligibility requirements. Applicants must be natives of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the US.
If you are not a native of a country with historically low rates of immigration to the US, you may qualify if your spouse is a native of a country with historically low rates of immigration to the US.
You may also qualify if you are a native of a country that does not have historically low rates of immigration to the US but in which neither of your parents was born or legally resident at the time of your birth. Such applicants may claim the country of birth of one of their parents if it is a country whose natives are eligible for the program.
Applicants must also meet the education/work experience requirement by having at least a high school education or its equivalent or two years of work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience.
What information is required to apply?
You must provide all of the following information to complete your entry: Name, gender, birth date, city where you were born, country where you were born, country of eligibility, photograph, mailing address, country where you live today, phone number, email address, education achievements, marital status and number of children.
What are the photograph requirements?
Entrants must submit a recent photograph taken within the last six months with their entry. Photographs must meet the same standards as US visa. Applicants may be ineligible for a Diversity Visa if the entry photograph does not meet the specifications.
Photographs must be in color, in focus , sized such that the head is between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches or 50 percent and 69 percent of the image's total height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.
It must have been taken within the last six months to reflect the entrant's current appearance and taken in front of a plain white or off-white background. The photograph must be taken in full-face view directly facing the camera and the entrant must have a neutral facial expression and both eyes open.
The photograph should be taken in clothing that the applicant normally wear on a daily basis. Uniforms should not be worn, except religious clothing that is worn daily. Entrants must not wear a hat or head covering that obscures the hair or hairline, unless it is worn daily for a religious purpose. The entrant's full face must be visible and the head covering must not cast any shadows on your face.
Headphones, wireless hands-free devices, or similar items are not acceptable in the photograph. Applicants should not wear glasses. Applicants who use a hearing device may wear it in the photograph.
Submitting the same photograph that was submitted with a prior year’s entry will make you ineligible for a Diversity Visa.
Why is the confirmation number important?
Entrants should receive the confirmation notice immediately, including a confirmation number that they must record and keep. Once you receive a confirmation notice, do not resubmit your information. If you did not receive a confirmation number, your entry was not recorded and you must submit another entry. It will not be counted as a duplicate.
Keep your confirmation number until until September 30, 2025 to access the Entrant Status Check.
How are successful entrants selected?
The US Department of State determines selectees through a randomized computer drawing. It distributes diversity visas among six geographic regions. No single country may receive more than seven percent of the available Diversity Visas in any one year.
When will I know if I have won the Green Card lottery?
Entrants must use your confirmation number to access the Entrant Status Check available on the website from May 4, 2024, through September 30, 2025. Entrant Status Check is the sole means by which the Department of State will notify you if you are selected.
Successful applicants will also be provided with further instructions on the visa application and of the immigrant visa interview appointment date and time.
Applicants should retain their confirmation number until September 30, 2025, in case of any updates. The US Department of State will not contact you to tell you that you have been selected. It does not send letters or emails to notify individuals that they have been selected.
All selectees must be issued visas by September 30, 2025.
Am I guaranteed to receive a Green Card if my application is selected?
In order to receive a Green Card, entrants must meet all eligibility requirements under US law. Selection does not guarantee entrants will receive a visa.
Can I apply if I’m already registered for an immigrant visa in another category?
Yes.
If I am selected, do my spouse and family members get Green Cards too?
Each spouse may each submit one entry they meet the eligibility requirements. If either spouse is selected, the other is entitled to apply as a derivative dependent.
Each applicant must provide information about their spouse and children with their entry. Failure to list children may make you ineligible for a Diversity Visa, in which case your spouse and children will also be ineligible as Diversity Visa derivative applicants.
Can I apply to receive a Green Card in 2024 instead?
No. The DV-2024 registration period was from October 5, 2022, until November 8, 2022. Successful applicants have until September 30, 2024 to progress their application.
What if I have more questions?
See here for more information about the Green Card lottery.
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