The U.S. State Department is accepting applications for the 2023 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2023) until noon EST on Nov. 9.
Each fiscal year, thousands of foreign nationals who enter the free U.S. visa lottery are selected for entry into the country. Many applicants are also eligible for a green card, potentially putting them on a path toward U.S. citizenship.
Basic Qualification Requirements
Not all are eligible to apply for the visa lottery. Only those will qualify who meet basic educational requirements and currently reside in a country with a low rate of immigration to the U.S. within the past five years.
Qualifying countries include the following:
- Bangladesh
- Brazil
- Canada
- China (including Hong Kong)
- Colombia
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Haiti
- Honduras
- India
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- South Korea
- United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
In addition to coming from a qualified country, successful entrants will have at least a high school diploma or the equivalent of one, or two years of work experience during the past five years in a field that requires two years of training.
How Are People Selected?
The DV-23 program is run like a lottery. Qualified applicants will have until noon EST on Nov. 9 to submit their applications for a U.S. visa. A randomized computer drawing is then conducted to select “winners.” Because this program is run like a lottery, it doesn’t matter when an application is submitted as long as meets the deadline. No late applications are accepted.
How Many People Will Be Selected?
The DV-23 program lottery will select 55,000 qualified entrants. Millions of people apply for this program each year, which means that a single entrant has an approximately 0.5% chance of winning.
Can I Include Family Members on My Application?
Yes. However, only spouses and unmarried children younger than 20 can be included on your application. If your entry is selected as a winner, then you and all of your family members on the application can proceed with the visa process.
When Will Winners Know They Were Selected?
The results of the drawing will be available on the State Department’s website from May 8, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023. It’s incumbent upon entrants to visit the website during this period and enter the confirmation number (which is received when an application is submitted) to find out of they were selected.
What Happens If I’m Selected?
If you are one of the lucky 55,000 winners of the visa lottery, you, your spouse, and any qualifying children must be issued an immigrant visa by Sept. 30, 2023. All visa winners must still pass the U.S.’s stringent consular interview process to ensure that winners are appropriate for entry.
How Do I Apply?
Visit the State Department’s website to apply for the DV-2023 program lottery. Keep in mind that although this process can be done on a home computer, you may wish to seek counsel from an immigration attorney who can ensure that you are correctly following instructions.
If you wish to seek such guidance or have additional questions about the DV-2023 program, you can reach out to Nathan Christensen P.C. for help.
Get in touch with us today by contacting our firm online!