2024 Diversity Visa Information
2024 Diversity Visa Information
The 2023 visa lottery is over, but if you’re hoping to apply for a diversity visa, the time to start thinking about the process is now. A diversity visa offers you a path toward legally applying for a green card for yourself and your family, even if you would not have had an eligible path forward under any other program.
Every year, the US Department of State offers 50,000 immigrant visas at random.
To apply for next year’s lottery, you must fill out form I-485 and provide all the applicable supporting evidence by September 30, 2023. You may apply to the program for free. You must be admissible to the United States to qualify. You must have at least a high school degree or at least two years of work experience within the past five years in a profession that requires at least two years of training as determined by the United States Department of Labor.
You can apply from inside or outside of the United States. If you win while legally present in the United States, you will be eligible for an adjustment of status.
You must also be from an eligible country. This year, only a handful of countries are ineligible:
- Bangladesh
- Brazil
- Canada
- China
- Hong Kong
- Colombia
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Haiti
- Honduras
- India
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- South Korea
- The United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland)
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
If you win, you’ll be notified 7 months after submitting your entry, but you won’t be done yet. You must complete and submit Form DS-260, Online Application for Immigrant Visa, and Alien Registration. If you were already in the United States, you must complete Form I-485, the Adjustment of Status.
You’ll be scheduled for an immigration interview. Immigration officers will ask you criminal and security questions. To prepare for this interview, you should consider retaining an immigration lawyer who can prepare you for the interview and attend it with you.
Once you pass the interview, you’ll receive your visa.
Applying for the lottery is a risk-free process. It’s a long shot, but 50,000 people realize their dreams of living in the United States through this program every year. If you are interested in receiving a green card, be sure to apply!
See also:
4 Good Reasons to Bring an Attorney to Your Green Card Interview
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