General Steps

STEP 1. Determine If You (Or Your Spouse) Are Eligible

To be eligible for the visa lottery, you must:

Be a native of a qualifying (visa eligible) country AND Have at least a secondary school education or its equivalent

OR, you must have at least two years of training or experience in a skilled occupation or trade within the past 5 years. Your occupation must require at least two years of training or experience to qualify.

If you were born in a visa ineligible country, you cannot apply unless you have a spouse from a visa eligible country, or in rare instances, have parents born in a visa eligible country who were temporarily residing in the ineligible country because of their jobs.

If you do not have a secondary education, see the list of occupations requiring at least two years of training or experience. Then, if you have one of these occupations you may substitute your training or experience for the required secondary school education.

STEP 2. Fill Out the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry (EDV) Form

If either you or your spouse is eligible, complete the Electronic Diversity Visa (EDV) Entry Form located on the Internet at: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html

Follow the instructions provided in Win the Green Card Lottery! Submit the form along with a recent digital or scanned photograph of yourself (the principal applicant) and your immediate family members. You can only register during the 30-day period allowed.

Remember to follow the instructions exactly as shown, or your registration may be disqualified. The State Department will send you (or your lottery service) an electronic confirmation notice when they receive your entry.

If you win, the Kentucky Consular Center will no longer notify you by postal mail. Starting with DV-2012, entrants can only check the status of their entry online at the U.S. Department of State Electronic Diversity Visa Status Check Website to find out if their entry was selected. 

STEP 3. If You Win Apply To Adjust Status, or Apply for an Immigrant Visa

If you are living inside the U.S., we suggest you immediately contact an immigration attorney before you submit an application to adjust status (I-485). You can apply to adjust status in the U.S., OR you can return to your home country and apply for an immigrant visa at the U.S. Consulate. If you prefer to adjust status in the U.S., apply to the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, Attn: DV Lottery Winner, 427 S. LaSalle - 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60605-1098. Please keep in mind that filing locations are subject to change. Always check for the most up-to-date information regarding filing locations and other information at http://www.uscis.gov/, and/or follow all instructions on your selection notice. 

APPLICANTS LIVING IN CERTAIN STATES HAVE SPECIAL FILING PROCEDURES.

If you are living outside the U.S., immediately submit an immigrant visa application to the U.S. Consulate office in your home country. If there is not a U.S. Consulate in your home country, then file your application wherever the Department of State directs you to file. For example, you may reside in a country in which a U.S. Consulate does not exist or has been closed. In this instance you will be assigned to another Consulate for filing and interview.

Some immigration lawyers believe that filing abroad at the U.S. Consulate provides the best of chance of actually receiving permanent resident status in the U.S. This is because there is a relatively short time period during which you must obtain your green card, and the relatively long time frames generally required for these decisions at USCIS offices in the United States.

STEP 4. Prepare for Your Interview

Make sure your application arrives at the destination by the deadline listed in your notification letter. After your application is received, you will be scheduled for an interview with an examining officer. If you filed to adjust status in the United States, you will be interviewed by a USCIS officer. If you filed for an immigrant visa outside of the U.S., you will interviewed by a consular officer at the U.S. Consulate abroad. The examining officer will confirm the information you provide and approve or deny your application.

STEP 5. If Your Immigrant Visa Is Approved, Enter the U.S. Within Six Months

If your immigrant visa is approved, you must enter the U.S. within six months of receiving your visa, or you will lose it. For example, for last year's lottery (DV 2013), no immigrant visas will be issued or adjustment of status applications approved after September 30, 2013. Again, see our Dates and Deadlines table at myGreencard.com to find information you may need.

If you receive a diversity visa on September 30, 2012 (the last day to receive a visa for DV-2012) then you and your family must immigrate to the U.S. by March 31, 2013.

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