The DV Lottery, also known as the Green Card Lottery, is a yearly program designed to give about 50,000 visas to immigrants from countries that the United States does not often see immigrate. DV is, of course, short for Diversity Visa and diversity is the goal of this particular visa.
The registration period for the Diversity Visa only runs for one month and as this blog is written it has been open for more than a week! Register for the Green Card Lottery now before the registration period ends on November 3, 2012 at noon. USAGreenCardLottery.org can help you make sure that your application is completed and properly formatted for electronic submission to the United States Department of State who administers the program.
The application cannot be submitted in paper form since the State Department has transferred the program to an entirely electronic format. You will even be informed whether or not you have won online when you check your status on their website, they will not mail you a confirmation or anything.
Drawings typically occur on the first day of May the following year from the registration period. So, for green cards that will be issued in 2014 (DV-2014) the registration period will occur in the fall of 2012 and the winners will be selected in May of 2013.
As a matter of routine many more people will win the lottery than the number that will get a green card. This is because after you win the lottery you still have to go through the application process for obtaining a green card. The State Department assumes that approximately half of the winners of the Green Card Lottery will be disqualified for one reason or another so about 100,000 people win the green card lottery, but only 50,000 eventually get green cards.
The Green Card Lottery can end up being a multi-year process, so it is a good idea to establish a system for applying. USAGreenCardLottery.org is that system. Sign up with us today!