| Q18: | Which countries qualify for the lottery? |
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| | Nationals of "High Admission" countries are not eligible to participate in the Green Card Lottery Program. For DV-2009, the high admission countries were: Brazil, Canada, China (Mainland-Born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible to participate in the DV-2009 Green Card Lottery. |
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| Q19: | Who
is eligible to enter the Green Card Lottery? |
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| | Any individual
satisfying the following criteria is eligible to participate in the Green Card. |
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| Q20: | Who is a "Native"? Can I qualify if I am not a native? |
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The term "Native" ordinarily means born with a particular country, regardless of the person's current nationality or residence. According to the Immigration and Naturalization act, an applicant born in an ineligible country if married to a person in an eligible country, can claim the spouse's country of birth rather than his/her own. For example, a person born in an excluded country such as India may still apply if his or her spouse was born in a qualifying country. |
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| Q21: | Can I qualify if I am not from an eligible country? |
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| | According to the Immigration and Naturalization act, an applicant born in an ineligible country if married to a person in an eligible country, can claim the spouse's country of birth rather than his/her own. For example, a person born in an excluded country such as India may still apply if his or her spouse was born in a qualifying country.
The applicant may also be eligible if one of his/her parents were born or resided in an eligible country, and have not established residency in an ineligible country. |
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| Q22: | I was born in East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh) but I am a native of Pakistan. Can I participate in the Green Card Lottery program? |
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The Department of State has not issued the list of countries eligible to participate in DV-2009. You may register with us so that we could update you as and when the Department of State issues the list of countries eligible to participate in DV-2009. |
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| Q23: |
Why are citizens of some countries ineligible to participate in the Diversity Visa Program? |
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| | The philosophy behind the diversity visa program is to expose United States to a wide variety of culture and ideas. Some countries are ineligible because that have contributed to more than 50,000 immigrants in the previous five years. The list of ineligible countries changes from year to year. |
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| Q24: |
I am a citizen and passport holder of an eligible country, but I was not born there. Am I still eligible? |
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| | No. You are not eligible to participate in the Green Card Lottery if your country of birth is not eligible. Your nationality makes no difference in applying for the lottery. You must qualify as a native of an eligible country to participate in the Green Card Lottery. |
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| Q25: | What are the minimum requirements for education and work experience? |
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| | Every applicant must have at least high school education or equivalent, or within the past five years, have two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience. |
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| Q26: |
I have not yet completed the educational requirement. Can I apply? |
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Yes. You may apply as long as you complete your education before the dead line. |
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| Q27: | I am separated from my spouse. Do I need to list my spouse on the application? |
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| | Yes. You will have to list your spouse on the application even if you are separated or your spouse does not wish to immigrate with you. |
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| Q28: | Are DV applicants specially entitled to apply for a waiver of any of the grounds of visa ineligibility? |
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| | No. Applicants are subject to all grounds of ineligibility for immigrant visas specified in the Immigration and Nationality Act. There are no special provisions for the waiver of any ground of visa ineligibility other than those ordinarily provided in the Act.
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| Q29: | Should I include my education and work experience details on the Green Card Lottery application? |
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| | No. You should not include education details on the application form. You can apply through VisaPro to ensure that your application follows the guidelines issued by the Department of State. |
