Every year, a few thousand lucky individuals are presented with the opportunity to come live a new life in the US. If you’ve ever overheard a conversation about a lottery to go to the US, don’t worry; your neighbor isn’t a kook. They’re probably referring to the DV Lottery Program initiated by the US Congress back in 1990.
What’s the DV Lottery Program?
The Diversity Visa Lottery Program is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for people from across the globe to uproot their life and start fresh in the great country of the USA. Each year, the US welcomes up to 55,000 immigrants from underrepresented countries by awarding them Green Cards. So, you could work, live, and study in the US for good!
After you’ve qualified as an eligible candidate, the winners are chosen at random by a computer program. At the start, the program will choose from 100,000 to 150,000 candidates. However, the number of immigration visas available is only 55,000. If selected, you’ll proceed to the next step which involves proving your education level or past work experience, whichever applies in your case. If you meet either one of these requirements, you’ll be asked to submit a visa application and appear for an interview. If all goes well there, you can say hello to your new life in the US!
But it’s not completely open to everyone; there’s a catch. You need to be from a country that doesn’t send many immigrants to the US. So, where exactly do you stand?
Is Your Country Eligible?
The key governing factor in the DV Lottery Program is diversity. As such, the winners are fairly distributed among the six geographic regions — Africa, Europe, North America, Asia, Oceania, and South America — with no more than 7% of the winners stemming from one region. The eligibility of countries varies from one year to the next depending on how many immigrants have come from there to the US. For the 2024 DV Lottery Program, the following countries from each region (except Oceania) have been excluded from the running:
From Asia
- Bangladesh,
- Pakistan,
- South Korea,
- Philippines,
- Vietnam,
- China, (including Hong Kong SAR), and
- India.
From Europe
- The UK and its dependent territories, excluding Northern Ireland.
From South America, Central America, and the Caribbean
- Brazil,
- Colombia,
- El Salvador,
- Haiti,
- Honduras,
- Jamaica, and
- Venezuela.
From North America
- Canada,
- The Dominican Republic, and
- Mexico.
From Africa
- Nigeria
These countries have sent over 50,000 immigrants to the US in the past 5 years. If you don’t spot your country on the list, then it’s great news for you! You can send in your application to be in this year’s running.
But Wait, There’s a Loophole!
If you do see your country of birth in the list of excluded ones, it’s not the end of the road for you — there’s a loophole! You can still qualify for the 2024 DV Lottery Program if your spouse or parents are from an eligible country. You can submit the application by claiming their country of birth instead of your own. It’s as simple as that! The DV Lottery Program is completely FREE to apply. So, you can just visit the official website and sign up during the October to November period of this year for the 2024 program.
Apply With Some Help!
You’d be surprised to know that between 10 to 20 million people apply for the program every year. Most of these are perfectly eligible candidates who are taken out of the running because of application mistakes —wrong sequence of names, incorrect photos, misspelt names, you get the idea. Dream of USA will guide you every step of the way, making sure you avoid these common mistakes and secure your spot in the running!
Dream of USA’s immigration consultancy houses a team of expert consultants who offer online services to people from all over the world. It doesn’t matter which geographical region you reside in; they can get you one step closer to achieving your dreams!