To qualify to participate in the visa lottery you must have either a high school education or its equivalent (defined as having completed 12 years of elementary and secondary education), or you must have two years' work experience in the past five years in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience. (Visit the U.S. Department of Labor's website to learn more about qualifying work experience.).

Application to participate in the lottery must be completed electronically at www.dvlottery.state.gov during the stated registration period. Applicants can submit their visa lottery form or have someone do it for them. However if more than one entry is received the applicant will be disqualified. A husband and wife may each submit one entry if each person meets the eligibility requirements. If either is selected the other is entitled to status as well. Paper entries are not accepted.

Disqualification occurs if all required photos are not submitted. Recent photos of the applicant, spouse and children under 21 have to be submitted electronically, with the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form. Group or family photos are not acceptable. Applicants can be disqualified if the photos are deemed not be recent or if photos have been manipulated.

Because you list family members on your application it does not mean the they must travel with you. They can remain behind if they so choose. There is no minimum age for participation in the American visa lottery but high school graduation or work experience for each principal applicant is required. In effect, that disqualifies most people under the age of 18.

Millions of People Rejected

The Department of State publishes explicit instructions annually in press releases and the Federal Register. Millions of people are rejected annually for failing to follow the instructions. Instructions are usually posted on the website in August and the registration period is usually in October. There is no fee to enter, but if you win you have the cost of an immigrant visa plus a US visa lottery surcharge.

A computer selects applicants randomly and those selected are notified by mail between May and July. At that time they are given further instructions, including information on fees. Persons not selected do not receive notification and U.S. consulates and embassies are not able to provide lists of successful applicants.

To actually receive a visa, applicants selected in the random draw must meet all eligibility requirements under U.S. law. Once all 50,000 visas have been issued the green card visa lottery ends for the year.

For Further Information

Those interested in submitting a visa lottery application should watch the State Department website for information. You can call the State Department's Visa Lottery Information Center at 1-900-884-8840 for more information as well. (Note that 1-900 telephone numbers carry a charge for each call.) You may also contact your nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for further information on the green card visa lottery program.

To keep up with information on the green card visa lottery program check the websites at www.uscis.gov/graphics/howdoi/divlott.hm and travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types

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