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Overview:
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, administered annually by the Department of State, allows immigrants from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States to apply for visas. For the fiscal year 2025, a total of 55,000 Diversity Visas (DVs) will be available. There is no fee to register for the program, but selected applicants will need to pay a visa application fee before being considered for the visa.
Eligibility:
To qualify for a DV, applicants must meet specific eligibility requirements. The Department of State randomly selects the applicants through a computer drawing. The available diversity visas are distributed among six geographic regions, with no single country receiving more than seven percent of the visas in a year. However, natives of certain countries, such as Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, and others, are not eligible to apply if more than 50,000 natives from these countries have immigrated to the US in the previous five years. Natives of Macau SAR and Taiwan, on the other hand, are eligible. The eligibility criteria remain the same as the previous fiscal year, except for the inclusion of the United Kingdom and its dependent territories in the DV-2025 program.
Requirements:
There are two main eligibility requirements for DV applicants. Firstly, applicants must either be natives of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States or be married to someone who is a native of such a country. Secondly, applicants must have either a high school education or two years of work experience in a specific occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience.
Entry Period:
Entries for the DV-2025 program must be submitted electronically between October 4, 2023 (5:00 pm EAT) and November 7, 2023 (5:00 pm EAT). It is recommended not to wait until the last week of the registration period to avoid website delays. Only one entry per person is allowed, and multiple entries will disqualify the applicant.
Completing the Entry:
Applicants must complete the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form (E-DV Entry Form or DS-5501) online at dvprogram.state.gov. It is important to use an updated browser for submission. Applicants are encouraged to complete the entry form themselves and avoid assistance from visa consultants or agents. After submitting a complete entry, a confirmation screen with a unique confirmation number will be displayed. This confirmation screen should be printed and kept for future reference. Starting from May 4, 2024, applicants can check the status of their entry using the Entrant Status Check on dvprogram.state.gov.
Required Information:
To complete the entry, applicants must provide their full name as it appears on their passport, gender, birth date, city and country of birth, and the country of eligibility for the DV program. Accuracy in providing all the required information is essential for eligibility.
