The Diversity Visa Lottery Program opened for filing on October 1, 2015. Those who are eligible to file may do so from any time from now until November 3, 2015.

The Diversity Visa Lottery Program opened for filing on October 1, 2015. Those who are eligible to file may do so from any time from now until November 3, 2015. These filings are considered Fiscal Year (“FY”) 2017 filings, as the federal government's fiscal year runs from October 1 through September 30.

The Diversity Visa Lottery Program (“DV”) is congressionally mandated by Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It authorizes issuance of immigrant visas (which lead to permanent residency in the U.S. or a “green card”) to natives of countries which have historically low rates of immigration to the United States. The aim of the program is, as the title suggests, to increase diversity in the immigrant population in the United States. Complete instructions for the DV Program, including a list of countries whose nationals qualify to register, is available on the Department of State's website.

In addition to being a native of a qualifying country, the DV Program also requires that the principal applicant have a high school education (or equivalent), or two years of qualifying work experience within the last five years. The experience must be that which, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET manual, requires at least two years of training or experience that is in Job Zone 4 or 5, or is classified with an SVP rating of 7.0 or higher. The spouse and children of the principal applicant need not meet these requirements.

There is no cost to apply for the DV Lottery. There are many fraudulent websites which appear to be U.S. government websites but which seek to extract a fee from applicants, and often never file an actual application on their behalf. Please see the Department of State's Fraud Warning about these sites.

Only 50,000 DV immigrant visas will be issued for FY-2017. For those who are selected, the lottery is only the first step in obtaining permanent residency in the United States. Lottery winners must still undergo the normal process of applying for an immigrant visa at a U.S. Consular post in their home country. And those who obtain permanent residency in the U.S. must maintain that status by actually residing in the U.S.

The requirements for the DV program are exacting. You may wish to have an attorney review your application prior to submission.