The Diversity Visa Lottery 2023 for Fiscal Year 2025 (“DV-2025”) has once again taken registrations starting at 12 p.m. EDT on October 4, 2023. The deadline for DV-2025 registration is Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. (EST). It is advised that foreign nationals submit their applications before the deadline since high demand can create website problems. The US Postal Service is not accepted for submissions; only internet submissions are permitted. Remember that law allows only one entry per person during each registration period thus submitting several applications will disqualify you rather than increase your chances and yes, the Department of State uses sophisticated technology to detect multiple entries.
What Is a Diversity Visa Program?
The Diversity Visa Program (DV Program) which was created by the Immigration Act of 1990 and began in 1995 to increase the variety of immigrants coming to the United States. It is administered by the Department of State. The DV Program is sometimes referred to as the Diversity Visa Lottery. It enables foreign individuals from nations with historically low immigration rates to come to the United States. Through the DV lottery, people and families who would not otherwise be able to lawfully immigrate to the United States to live permanently can apply for a green card. The DV lottery winners and their immediate family members are eligible to apply for permanent residence in the US.
What Is a Green Card?
The term “Green Card” has undoubtedly been used a lot but what does it actually mean? Let’s dissect it.
A Green Card is close in value to the “golden ticket” to the United States. It is issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and is officially known as a Permanent Resident Card. But what exactly does that mean?
Permanent Resident Status
Consider a Green Card as your entry permit for settling permanently in the US. It is your right to call the United States your home for as long as you wish; it is not a tourist visa that expires after a few months.
Rights and Privileges Galore
A world of opportunity will open up to you once you have the highly sought-after Green Card. Within the United States, you are free to work, live, and travel. No longer must you be concerned about those annoying visa extensions!
Eligibility for Diversity Visa Lottery 2023
The DV lottery provides up to 55,000 green cards to citizens of specific nations with historically low immigration rates to the United States in the fiscal year 2025 using a random computer-based selection procedure.
Ineligible Countries for DV Lottery
Unfortunately, citizens of specific nations with high rates of immigration to the US are not allowed to register. Among them are Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), China (also known as the People’s Republic of China), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Venezuela, and Vietnam.
The lottery is open to foreign nationals who were born in Taiwan and Macau Special Administrative Region. For the first time in many years, people from the United Kingdom and its dependent territories are now eligible to apply for the DV-2025, which is a significant shift in eligibility.
Foreign nationals should be aware that they can still be able to participate through a qualifying partner who was born in one of the countries that is eligible to participate. In some cases, through a parent’s birth country if their own country of birth is on the excluded list above.
Qualification Requirement
The DV lottery also has a job OR educational criteria that the candidate must fulfill. The candidate must have successfully finished “a 12-year course of formal elementary and secondary school” in order to meet the educational standards. The candidate must have at least two years of work experience within the past five years in order to satisfy the employment requirement. That experience must have come from a profession that calls for at least that amount of education or training. The Department of Labor’s O*Net Online databases will be used by the government to assess the appropriate experience.
How To Apply for Diversity Lottery?
A free online application must be filled out in order to participate in the DV lottery. From October 4 at noon (EST) until November 7 at noon (EST), foreign nationals who desire to apply can do so using the Department of State’s (“DOS”) online site. A comprehensive set of instructions on how to apply is published by DOS along with a helpful infographic for easy reference in order to assist foreign nationals with the application process.
When submitting an application, candidates should use a brand-new digital photo or a digital scan of a recent photo that was captured within the last six months, provided that it complies with the compositional and technical requirements stated in the guidelines. The DOS website’s picture validation page allows applicants to test their images. A previous photo should not be submitted by applicants. The submission will be rejected if the applicant submits an image that was used in an earlier entry, one that has been altered, or one that does not adhere to the guidelines.
It’s crucial to note that the DV lottery is one of the most often targeted visa categories for fraud, thus foreign nationals are urged to only apply on the official website. Foreign nationals should also be aware that while the State Department can reach participants to remind them to check their status, they do not send postal mail or emails to applicants to let them know whether they have won the lottery. The official website is Diversity Visa Lottery https://dvprogram.state.gov/
If You are Selected in DV Lottery 2023
If foreign nationals are chosen and win the lottery, they will be given a confirmation number to use on the DV program website from May 4, 2024, through September 30, 2025, to check their entry status. Applicant Status Check is the only way the Department of State will let you know whether you have been chosen.
It provides you further information about your visa application, and lets you know when and where your immigrant visa interview is scheduled. Foreign nationals who are chosen will need to be careful about application deadlines. The entire procedure must be finished by September 30, 2025, otherwise the chance will be gone.
Can Green Card Holders Vote? Understanding the Rules
Voting rights for Green Card holders are a frequent topic of discussion when it comes to political engagement. The short answer is no, Green Card holders are unable to cast votes in American federal elections. Only U.S. citizens are eligible to vote in federal elections.
But there are certain exceptions to this rule. Holders of Green Cards aren’t allowed to vote in federal elections, however they are permitted to vote in some municipal and state elections in several states. State rules govern who is eligible to vote in local and state elections, therefore this exception differs from state to state.
Green Card holders must be informed of the laws governing voting rights in their particular state. Elections for local councils, school boards, and even certain state-level elections are all open to voters with green cards in several states. Green Card holders frequently view these municipal and state elections as chances to get involved in civic life and have a voice in their communities.