Client Payment Portal

2025 US Diversity Visa Lottery to Open Next Week

Sep 29, 2023 | Immigration Updates, Permanent Immigration Visas

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DIVP) is a government lottery program that offers a straightforward path to obtaining US Permanent Residence (green card). This program allocates 50,000 visas annually to applicants from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States and specific education qualifications.

The registration period for the FY2025 U.S. diversity visa (DV-2025) program opens on Monday, October 4, 2023, and closes on November 7, 2023.

Who Can Apply for the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program?

To be eligible for the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, you, your spouse, or your parent must have been born in a country that sent less than 50,000 immigrants to the United States in the previous five years. DOS publishes a full list of the eligible countries on its website.

For the 2025 program, the following countries are not eligible to apply for DIVP due to high rates of immigration to the United States:

  • Bangladesh
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • China (including Hong Kong SAR; natives of Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible)
  • Colombia
  • Dominican Republic
  • El Salvador
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • India
  • Jamaica
  • Mexico
  • Nigeria
  • Pakistan
  • Philippines
  • Republic of Korea (i.e., South Korea)
  • Venezuela
  • Vietnam

In addition to the nationality requirements,  applicants must possess at least a high school diploma or its equivalent; or two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience. The Department of State uses the Department of Labor’s O*Net Online system to determine work qualifying work experience.

Non-U.S. residents seeking to obtain a green card from an eligible country may apply regardless of whether they live in the United States or abroad. This includes foreign workers who are waiting to obtain a green card through the labor certification program.

If you’d like to learn more about the US Diversity Lottery, contact your WR Immigration attorney for guidance.

Related Posts:

WR Immigration News Digest

Top News Removal of China, India, and Others from the Exchange Visitors Skills List The Department of State has updated its Exchange Visitors Skills List, effective December 9, 2024, removing countries like China, India, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and the UAE. Exchange visitors from these countries are no longer subject to the two-year foreign residence requirement tied to the skills list. This change applies to J visa holders whose countries have been excluded from the revised list. Impact: Thousands of employees holding temporary visas (e.g. TN, O-1, E) will now be able to adjust status or change to H-1B.  Employers sponsoring J visa holders from the removed countries benefit from greater flexibility in retaining these workers. With the removal of the two-year return requirement, employers can explore H-1B or green card sponsorship without the employee fulfilling the two-year foreign residence requirement or seeking a waiver. Employers should stay updated on Advisory Opinion procedures for exchange visitors seeking a determination on the applicability of this requirement. Permanent 540-Day Automatic Extension for Work Permits The Department of Homeland Security has issued a final rule extending the automatic extension period for immigrant work permits from 180 days to 540 days. This measure follows […]

Read More

Immigration Update

In this edition, find the latest news on Title 42 ending, work authorization extensions, COVID-19 vaccine updates and more! Uncertainty Reigns as Title 42 Ends; Mayorkas Announces New Rule, Other Measures In response to reports of a potential surge of migrants at the southern U.S. border due to the end of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Title 42 restrictions on May 11, 2023, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas says the United States is ready. Planned actions include a rule to deter smugglers that Secretary Mayorkas says will be finalized and implemented by May 11, and efforts to derail misinformation about open borders peddled by smugglers. “The border is not open, it has not been open and it will not be open subsequent to May 11,” he said. Mexico has also agreed to continue accepting Venezuelan, Haitian, Cuban, and Nicaraguan migrants turned away at the U.S. border, and to allow Hondurans, Guatemalans, and Salvadorans with family in the United States to live and work in Mexico. The United States is also opening migration centers in several countries, starting with Guatemala and Colombia, to allow would-be migrants to apply for a legal pathway to the United States, Canada, or […]

Read More