USA GREEN CARD LOTTERY IS OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAM
The USA Congressional mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered on an annual basis by the Department of State and conducted under the terms of Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Section 131 of the Immigration Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-649) amended INA 203 and provides for a class of immigrants known as “Diversity Immigrants.” Section 203(c) of the INA provides a maximum of 55,000 Diversity Visas (DVs) each fiscal year to be made available to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
For visa availability, check the latest month’s DOS Visa Bulletin. Section B contains a chart showing the current month’s visa availability in the Diversity Immigrant category. The chart shows when the Diversity Immigrant cut-off is met. When the cut-off is met, visas will be available in that month for the applicants with Diversity Immigrant lottery rank numbers below the specified cut-off numbers for their geographic areas.
Section C contains a chart showing the Diversity Immigrant category rank cut-offs for the following month, which represents the advance notification of Diversity Immigrant visa availability. As soon as a monthly Visa Bulletin is published, anyone with a lower rank number than the rank cut-off number shown in Section C is eligible to file for adjustment of status. This provides lottery winners the opportunity to file for adjustment of status up to six or seven weeks before a visa number can actually be allocated. This gives USCIS additional time to determine your eligibility for adjustment of status before the end of the fiscal year.
A Diversity Immigrant-based adjustment application cannot be adjudicated until a visa can be allocated, as indicated in the Visa Bulletin’s current Diversity Immigrant rank cut-offs for a particular month.
Application Process
To obtain a Green Card, you must file Form I-485.
Supporting Evidence for Form I-485
Submit the following evidence with your Form I-485:
Form G-325, Biographic Information, if you are between 14 and 79 years of age
Two passport-style photos
Copy of birth certificate
Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
Copy of passport page with nonimmigrant visa (if applicable)
Copy of passport page with admission (entry) or parole stamp (if applicable)
Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record
Certified copies of court records (if the individual has been arrested)
Copy of the principal applicant’s selection letter for the diversity visa lottery from DOS
Copy of the receipt from DOS for the diversity visa lottery processing fee
Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility (if applicable)
Applicable fees
Other Considerations
The adjustment of status process for diversity visa winners must be completed by September 30 of the fiscal year the lottery pertains to. Visas cannot be carried over to the next fiscal year.
Confirm Your Qualifications
The Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program requires the principal DV applicant to have a high school education, or its equivalent, or two years of qualifying work experience as defined under provisions of U.S. law.
If you do not have either the required education or qualifying work experience, you are not qualified to be issued a diversity visa. (Only you, as the principal applicant, must meet this requirement. Your spouse and children do not have to meet this requirement.) You should not continue with your DV application if you do not meet the qualifying education or work experience requirements explained below. You will not be issued a visa, and any fees you pay will not be refunded.
High School Education: A high school education means successful completion of a formal course of elementary and secondary education comparable to completion of a 12-year course in the United States.
Work Experience: If you are qualifying with work experience, you must have two years of experience in the last five years, in an occupation which, by U.S. Department of Labor definitions, requires at least two years of training or experience that is designated as Job Zone 4 or 5, classified in a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) rating of 7.0 or higher.
The U.S. Department of Labor provides information on job duties, knowledge and skills, education and training, and other occupational characteristics on their website http://www.onetonline.org/. The O*Net online database groups work experience into five “job zones.” While many occupations are listed, only certain specified occupations qualify for the Diversity Visa Program.
How To Find the Qualifying Occupations on the Department of Labor Website: Qualifying DV Occupations are shown on the Department of LaborO*Net Online Database. Follow these steps, when you are in O*Net Online to find out if your occupation qualifies:
Under “Find Occupations” select “Job Family” from the pull down;
Then Browse by “Job Family”. (For example, select Architecture and Engineering) and click “GO”;
Then click on the link for your specific occupation. (As an example, select Aerospace Engineers. At the bottom of this Summary Report for Aerospace Engineers, under the Job Zone section, you will find the designated Job Zone 4, SVP Range, 7.0 to < 8.0. This means using this example, Aerospace Engineering is a qualifying occupation.)
Again, you should not continue with your DV application if you do not meet the qualifying education or work experience requirements explained above. You will not be issued a visa, and any fees you pay will not be refunded.