Win the Lottery!

The 2012 Diversity Visa Lottery, That Is.

Each year, the U.S. Department of State runs a congressionally-mandated program called the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery, also called the "Visa Lottery" or the "Green Card Lottery." The Visa Lottery makes available 50,000 immigrant visa numbers for foreign nationals from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S., offering a relatively quick and easy route to permanent residence in the U.S.  There is no cost to apply for the Visa Lottery, and applications are made online.  To qualify, the foreign national applicant must have either a high school education or its equivalent 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. 

The "winners" of the Visa Lottery are randomly selected by computer and will be notified by mail (not e-mail) of their selection starting May 1, 2011.  Applicants may also check their status online. After being selected, the "winners" will be eligible to apply for an immediately-available immigrant visa number.  It's important to note that foreign nationals who already have pending I-485s are also welcome to apply. If selected in the Visa Lottery, many would reduce their waiting period, since a Visa Lottery immigrant number is available immediately, while many employment and family-based Priority Dates remain unpredictable.

Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery applications may only be submitted between noon (EST) on Tuesday, October 5, 2010 and noon on Wednesday, November 3, 2010.  Applicants are strongly encouraged not to wait until the last week of the registration period to enter.  In the past, heavy demand during that last week resulted in considerable Web site delays.

Please note:  it is important to read the directions for the Visa Lottery quite carefully--applications which do not meet the requirements listed in the instructions will be disqualified.  Also, note that each person can only apply one time per year.  Repeat applications will be disqualified; however, a husband and a wife may each submit his/her own application to increase the family's chance of being selected.

Read instructions on how to apply for the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery, including who qualifies. Please share this important information with your foreign national employees.

Good luck, and remember, you can't win if you don't play! 

If you have questions regarding the diversity lottery or any other immigration matter, please contact Jenifer Brown or any other member of the immigration group.

September 15, 2010

This publication is intended for general information purposes only and does not and is not intended to constitute legal advice. The reader must consult with legal counsel to determine how laws or decisions discussed herein apply to the reader's specific circumstances.