It’s simple to enter the visa lottery for a free green card. But you better hurry
Up to 55,000 foreign nationals and their families from around the world will have a chance to legally immigrate to the United States with a green card in 2022, thanks to one of the simplest visa programs.
The electronic enrollment period for the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, which is better known as the American Visa Lottery, ends on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, at noon, but applicants are advised to not wait until the last minute to register.
Foreigners interested in immigrating legally to the United States, must submit their applications electronically. The registration process is simple and free.
Applications must be submitted only through the site https://dvprogram.state.gov. Only one entry is allowed in the sweepstakes. Individuals with more than one entry will be disqualified, authorities have warned.
The official instructions for the 2022 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program DV-2022 explain to the very detail how to enter the computerized draw, who qualifies and who doesn’t, and it also contains a section with frequent questions and answers, chief among them the requirement to have a valid, unexpired passport, to be able to submit the entry form.
The U.S. Department of State, which administers the popular immigration program, has been offering tips for Visa Lottery DV-2022 applicants. If qualified participants are selected, they will be able permanently live and work in the United States.
Thousands will enter the 2022 visa lottery for a free green card. This advice could help
How to enter the 2022 visa lottery
Foreign nationals can sign up and submit their electronic entry at dvlottery.state.gov.
After registering online, the green card hopeful will see a confirmation screen containing his or her name and a unique confirmation number. This must be printed for verification.
People who already live in the United States with legal non-immigrant status can also participate, provided their country of origin is included.
Natives from these countries are not eligible for the DV-2022: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.
The following information is required to fill out the electronic application:
▪ Name — last name, first name, middle name — as it appears on your passport
▪ Gender
▪ Date of birth
▪ City of birth
▪ Country of birth
▪ Country of eligibility for the DV-2022 program
▪ Recent photograph (of the applicant, his spouse and children) that meets these requirements
▪ Postal address
▪ Country of current residence
▪ Phone number (optional)
▪ Highest academic level achieved
▪ Marital status
The U.S. is once again giving away 55,000 green cards to foreigners. It’s simple and free.
Don’t wait until last minute to enter the DV-2022 green card lottery
Almost 12 million people around the world — applicants and their relatives or “derivatives” — attempted this year to immigrate to the U.S. through the DV-2021 lottery program.
The immigrant visas were distributed among six geographic regions with a maximum of 7% available to persons born in any single country. The 15 countries that most benefited from the program this year were Egypt, Iran and Russia.
Due to the expected huge volume of entries, State Department officials urge participants not to wait until the end of the registration period to submit their petitions, because excessive demand will slow the system down.
“Heavy demand may result in website delays,” says the Department in its instructions.
“No late entries or paper entries will be accepted. The law allows only one entry per person during each registration period. The Department of State uses sophisticated technology to detect multiple entries.”
The winners of the 2022 drawing will be listed on the State Department’s website between May 8, 2021 and Sept. 30, 2022.
DV-2022 participants should visit the Entrant Status Check page, to find out whether their entry has been selected using the confirmation number they received when they submitted their forms.
You can read this story in Spanish in el Nuevo Herald.
Daniel Shoer Roth is a journalist covering immigration law who does not offer legal advice or individual assistance to applicants. Follow him on Twitter @DanielShoerRoth or Instagram. The contents of this story do not constitute legal advice.
