USA Green Card Visa Lottery 2022-2023 | How To Apply Online – In this article, we’ll explain succinctly how to register, who is eligible, what to do if you get selected, how to avoid scams, etc.
Follow through if you are interested in the ongoing American Visa Lottery.
The Department of State administers the Diversity Immigrant Visa program in order to improve the diversity of immigrants coming to reside in the United States.
Every year, the Diversity Visa program selects 50,000 persons at random from countries that do not send many immigrants to the United States to receive permanent residency (also known as a “green card”).
It is a mechanism for people and families who would otherwise be unable to lawfully move to the United States to get a green card.
Entering the Diversity Visa lottery (also known as the green card lottery) is as simple as filling out a simple online form, and it is free of charge. Every year, from early October to early November, you can enter the lottery.
A computer selects the winners at random, and they and their immediate families are granted green cards.
You can apply for the Visa Lottery irrespective of your marital status (single, married, divorced, widowed, separated, etc.).
USA Green Card Visa Lottery 2022-2023 | How To Apply Online
Submit an Application
During each fiscal year, you can only register for the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program for a limited time. The Department of State offers thorough guidelines for entering the DV Program each year.
The dates of the registration period during which you will be able to enter are included in these guidelines.
During the designated registration period, all entries must be submitted online on the Electronic Diversity Visa (E-DV) website.
No late or paper entries will be accepted. During each registration time, each person is only allowed one entry.
NOTE: To identify repeated submissions, the Department of State employs advanced technologies. You will be rejected if you submit more than one entry.
The website will not be available for entry submission until the day and time mentioned on the DV Instructions webpage.
Detailed guidance for completing the online entry form is included in the DV Instructions.
After submitting a full submission, you will be presented with a confirmation page that includes your name and a unique confirmation number.
This confirmation screen should be printed for your records. It is critical that you keep your confirmation number.
It is the sole method to monitor the status of your entrance, and you will need it to get additional instructions or book a visa interview if you are chosen.
Beware: Registration for the DV Program is free. You are highly advised to complete the admission form on your own, without the assistance of a “Visa Consultant,” “Visa Agent,” or another facilitator.
If you have someone else to assist you, you should be there when your input is completed so that you can provide the right answers to the questions and save the confirmation page and your unique confirmation number.
Timeline for Diversity Visas
Green card lottery winners are normally notified 7 months after filing their application. Depending on how fast you apply for your visa, it might take up to 14 months to be scheduled for your interview and acquire your visa.
If you filed for the 2023 green card lottery during the registration period (October-November 2021), the winners would be revealed in May 2022. You will be able to apply for your visa only during the fiscal year 2023, which runs from October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023.
The earlier you apply throughout that year, the earlier you will be scheduled for your visa interview and awarded your visa.
Registration and application for the Visa Lottery are done every year, and applicants can register and apply for their Visa Lottery online.
Once you have obtained your visa, you must enter the United States on or before the date specified on your visa. A Diversity Visa is normally valid for up to six months from the date of issuance.
Eligibility for a Diversity Visa
When applying for a Diversity Visa, there are two key requirements:
1. COUNTRY OF BIRTH
To be eligible for the Diversity Visa, you must have been born in a country that has sent less than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the previous five years.
The nations eligible vary from year to year, although Canada, China, India, Mexico, and the United Kingdom are never on the list because they all send a considerable number of immigrants to the United States.
If your home country is not eligible, you can still apply for the Diversity Visa in one of two ways:
- If your spouse was born in an eligible nation, you can apply together and specify your spouse’s birth country on your application.
- You can pick your mother’s or father’s country of birth if neither of your parents was lawful residents in your own country of birth.
2. EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT
The second key condition for Diversity Visa applicants is that they have a high school diploma or at least two years of work experience in a job that requires at least two years of training, as defined by the US Department of Labor.
Additional Ideas on How to Enroll in the Ongoing Green Card Lottery 2022-2023
It is quite simple to enter the lottery. From early October to early November, you must fill out a form on the State Department’s website. The majority of the questions are straightforward; nevertheless, there are a few instances where these additional ideas may be useful:
- In the “country of birth” field, list the nation in which you were born, regardless of where you now reside. Use the country’s current name if it differs from the one it had when you were born.
- For “country of eligibility,” enter either your country of birth or, if you qualify, the country of your spouse’s or parents’ birth. This question is unrelated to the nation in which you now reside.
- Your spouse must be included, even if he or she does not live with you and does not plan to immigrate with you.
- Your children: You must mention all of your biological children as well as all of your adopted children, regardless of age. You should also include all stepchildren under the age of 21, even if you are no longer married to their parents.
You must also attach a current photo of yourself, your spouse, and your children (taken within the last 6 months). Follow the same photo criteria as if you were applying for a green card.
Once you’ve submitted your application, remember your confirmation number since this is the only way to find out whether you’ve been chosen.
Notification and Selection Process
A computer program selects the winners of the Diversity Visa lottery at random, with a fixed number of visas awarded to each area of the world and no single nation obtaining more than 7% of the Diversity Visas available in any given year.
Although the exact dates vary, applicants who have applied for a Diversity Visa can check the progress of their application beginning in early May of the year after their application by utilizing the Entrant Status Check link on the Diversity Visa homepage.
This is why it’s critical to keep that confirmation number handy: You won’t be able to see if you’ve been chosen if you don’t have it.
If you are chosen in the green card lottery, you and your family must fulfil the same conditions as any other U.S. green card application.
Certain forms of criminal history may preclude you from obtaining a green card. There are also some medical issues that may make obtaining a green card difficult or impossible.
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What Will Happen Next If You Get Selected?
Though you are chosen in the green card lottery, you must move quickly, even if it may be a year or more before you may enter the United States.
There are two reasons to act right away: First and foremost, your application must be processed and your visa issued by the end of the fiscal year in which you were chosen. Second, there are more people who have been chosen for the Diversity Visa than there are visas available, and if you wait until the last minute, there may be no visas remaining.
When you are told that you have received the Diversity Visa, you will be assigned a number rank that will indicate when you may apply for your visa.
You can check the State Department’s visa bulletin around the end of July to learn when you can submit your application.
The first visas will be available on October 1, the beginning day of the fiscal year for the United States government, and you can apply up to 90 days in advance.
If you’re outside the United States
The great majority of applicants chosen for the Diversity Visa are not in the United States and will apply for a green card through the United States embassy in their home country.
If you find that a visa is available, you should submit form DS-260 to the National Visa Center as soon as possible.
Once your application has been processed, it will be sent to the US consulate, which will schedule a visa interview. If you fulfil all of the conditions, your immigrant visa will be accepted during the interview.
If you live in the United States
If you are in the United States with a temporary immigration status (also known as “non-immigrant status”) when you win the Diversity Visa lottery, you will apply for a green card through US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by completing Form I-485.
According to the visa bulletin, you should submit your application as soon as a visa becomes available.
How to Avoid Scams
Unfortunately, fraudsters often utilize the Diversity Visa program to deceive prospective applicants.
Here are a few pointers to help you avoid frequent Diversity Visa scams:
It is free to enter the Diversity Visa lottery. Anyone purporting to collect a fee on behalf of the Department of State is defrauding potential immigrants.
The Department of State does not inform winners by letter or email; the only method to find out whether you’ve been chosen is to check the status of your application using the Entrant Status Check.
Entering the Diversity Visa lottery is similar to entering any other lottery in that the odds of winning are low, but if you’re lucky, it can be a means to come to the United States even if you don’t have any family or job links.
However, if you are married to a US citizen, filing for a marriage green card is most likely the superior alternative.
TYPES OF VISA LOTTERY APPLICATION FORM 2022/2023
The following categories of visas are issued by most countries:
- Diplomat visa
- Skilled worker visa
- Tourist visa
- Study visa
- Visitor visa
- Farmworker visa
- Pilgrimage visa
- Business Visa
- Transit visa, Etc.
- There are about 185 different types of visas, a great deal of them was not mentioned in this article. However, they all can be broadly categorized into two main categories – Immigrant Visa and Non-Immigrant Visa.
Green Card Visa Lottery Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an age requirement to apply for a Diversity Visa?
There is no minimum age requirement, however, the demand for a high school diploma or work experience precludes most persons under the age of 18 from applying.
How much time does it take to obtain a Diversity Visa?
Green card lottery winners are usually notified 7 months after applying. Depending on how fast you apply for your visa, it might take up to 14 months for the government to schedule your interview and grant your visa.
What is the cost of entering the green card lottery?
There is no cost to participate in the Diversity Visa lottery. If you are chosen and choose to apply for a Diversity Visa, you will be required to pay the obligatory green card application fees.
What is the purpose of the Diversity Visa Lottery?
The Immigration Act of 1990 introduced the Multicultural Visa as a means of increasing the diversity of immigrants to the United States.
The bulk of immigrants to the United States have historically come from a few nations, and Congress developed the Diversity Visa program to boost the number of immigrants from smaller countries and countries that do not send many immigrants to the United States.
How many Diversity Visas will be granted to each country that qualifies?
The number of Diversity Visas allocated to each nation is calculated by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) using a method outlined in Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Each year, no nation can obtain more than 7% of the total number of Diversity Visas available.
