Diversity Visas/Green Card Lottery
If you do not qualify for employment-based or family-based immigration, the most common way to obtain a green card is via the Diversity Visa lottery.
In spite of the popular name Green Card Lottery, winners in the Diversity Visa program do not win a green card, but a chance to apply for an immigrant visa. Succesful applicants will be issued an immigrant visa and immigrant visa holders will subsequently attain legal permanent residence status- also known as green card status - upon admission into the United States.
Detailed information on the DV-2013 program:
http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/
http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1322.html
Please review the detailed instructions (PDF 279 KB). The Department of State has established a dedicated website for the submission of online DV applications: http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/. The DV-2013 lottery is conducted entirely electronically, including online entries. Paper entries are not accepted. The entry registration period for the 2013 Diversity Visa program (DV-2013) is now over.
Results of the DV-2012 Lottery Program:
The only way for DV-2012 entrants (who participated in 2010) to check the status of their DV-2012 entry is through the "Entry Status Check", available at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov from July 15, 2011 through June 30, 2012. Entrants will need to use the information from their DV-2012 confirmation pages saved at the time of entry.
Results of the DV-2013 Lottery Program:
The only way for DV-2013 entrants (who participated in 2011) to check the status of their DV-2013 entry is through the "Entry Status Check", available at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ after May 1, 2012. Entrants will need to use the information from their DV-2013 confirmation pages saved at the time of entry.
FRAUD WARNING-SCAM ALERT:
The official Diversity Visa Lottery website is www.dvlottery.state.gov . All official websites will end with “.gov.” The Department of State has only one Kentucky Consular Center. Other organizations using similar names have no connection to the Department of State or KCC. There have been instances of fraudulent websites posing as official U.S. Government sites. Some companies posing as the U.S. Government have sought money in order to "complete" lottery entry forms. There is no charge to download and complete the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form. The Department of State does NOT notify successful Diversity Visa applicants by e-mail or by regular mail. To learn more, see the Department of State Warning.
There is no fee charged by the Department or KCC for sending your online participation to the DV Lottery program. Only if you are selected, will DV fees be charged, at the time of the visa application at a U.S. consular office. Each applicant (the principal DV participant and each accompanying family member) will be charged a USD 330 Diversity Lottery visa fee. This fee is non-refundable, even if the visa is refused.
DV Lottery Scams: Read the Rules, Avoid the Rip-Offs
Due to an increase in requests regarding fraudulent Diversity Visa Lottery information, here is a reminder of how to avoid the scams:
If you or someone you know is trying to get a green card, be on the lookout for unscrupulous businesses and attorneys. They’ll claim that, for a fee, they can make it easier to enter the U. S. State Department’s annual Diversity Visa (DV) lottery (also known as the “green card lottery”) or increase your chances of winning the DV lottery.
Each year, the State Department conducts a lottery through its DV program to distribute applications for 50,000 immigrant visas. Winners of the lottery have a chance to apply for an immigrant visa, which can be used to enter the U. S. Winners are selected randomly, and there is no fee to enter the lottery.
Entries to the DV lottery must be submitted online at www.dvlottery.state.gov. (This site is only accessible during the application period.) Paper entries or mail-in requests will not be accepted. Lottery entrants must include a passport-style digital photograph and separate digital photographs of any spouse and children under 21 years of age.
Hiring a company or attorney to enter the lottery for you is your decision, but the person you pay will have to follow the same procedure. And your chance of being selected is the same whether you submit the entry or you pay someone to do it for you.
- Submit only one entry. If you submit more than one, you will be disqualified.
- Selection of entries is random. Spouses who are eligible for the DV lottery can apply separately; the “losing” spouse can enter the country on the Diversity Visa of the “winning” spouse. This is the only legitimate way to significantly increase your chance of entering the U.S. through the DV lottery.
- Be alert to Web sites promising government travel or residency documents online or by mail. Except for entering the DV lottery, most applications for visas, passports, green cards, and other travel and residency documents must be completed in person before an officer of the U.S. government.
- Be skeptical of Web sites posing as U.S. government sites. They may have domain names similar to government agencies, official-looking emblems (eagles, flags, or other American images like the Statue of Liberty or the U.S. Capitol), the official seals or logos of — and links to — other government sites, and list Washington, D.C., mailing addresses. If the domain name doesn’t end in “.gov,” it’s not a government site. Bogus sites may charge for government forms. Don’t pay; government forms and instructions for completing them are available from the issuing U.S. government agency for free.
- Be thoughtful about who you send your personal documents to. Unless you have an established relationship with a business, do not mail birth certificates, passports, drivers’ licenses, marriage certificates, Social Security cards, or other documents with your personal identifying information to businesses promising to complete your application for travel or residency documents. These businesses may be engaged in identity theft.
For details about the State Department’s Diversity Visa lottery, visit http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/. You also may call the State Department’s Visa Services’ Public Inquiries Branch at 202-663-1225.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.