Requirements

With your country of birth and education, there are only two requirements you must meet to participate in the DV Lottery. These have to be proven only in the case of winning the lottery.

Qualified Country of Birth

Your country of birth must be qualified to participate in the DV Lottery. Your citizenship is not relevant in this process. What counts is the birth country in accordance with current world political maps.

List of Excluded Countries

Almost everyone qualifies for the DV Lottery. The only exceptions are people born in a country with a very high emigration rate into the US.

Due to the high immigration rate into the United States, the following countries are currently excluded from the DV Program:

Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

People who were born in any of the above-mentioned excluded countries may apply if:

  • their spouses were born in one of the eligible countries, or
  • their parents (both not born in this excluded country) were only temporary residents of the excluded, non-eligible countries.
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Education

After winning in the DV Lottery, you must prove that you meet one of the following educational requirements:

Your educational level is at least equivalent to an American high school diploma

OR

Within the last five years, you have worked for at least two years in a profession that requires at least two years of training.

Proof of these prerequisites is only necessary when a lottery participant wins a Green Card. They are not necessary at the time of applying for the DV Lottery.

Recommendation:
If you do not have the equivalent of a high school degree and are not sure if your job requires "two years of training" you should check the US Department’s of State Online Database ONET. Type in your profession and click on "Summary." You will find an analysis of how many years of experience in your job are needed in the chapter "Job Zone."

US DV Lottery -Are you eligible?

Photo requirements

The US State Department requires all applications to be filed electronically. Please be advised that any minor error in the application procedure will result in your immediate disqualification without further notice.

The photo requirements are very strict and must meet the following criteria:

Requirements

Specification

Background

Light-colored and plain

Head size

The face (from chin to hair) must represent between 50 % and 69 % of the total height of the photo.

Head position

Face the camera. Your head must not be tilted up, down, or to the side.

Exposure

The photo must not be overexposed or underexposed. Shadows must not be visible.

Digital image alterations

Should be avoided. A modified background can influence the shape of the head.

The face

Must not be covered by hair and facial expression should be neutral.

Head coverings

Are not permitted except for religious reasons.

Glasses

Are not allowed.

Color

High-quality color photos only - no black and white photos!

Photo size

51x51mm

Resolution

600x600 pixels / 300 dpi

File size

Maximum 240 KB

File format

JPG format

Photo age

The photo must not be older than 6 months and needs to reflect the current look. Photos of previous DV Lotteries should not be used.

Please do not use copies of identity cards or passports!

dv lottery photo requirements

If an existing photo is scanned, it must have a resolution of at least 300 dots per inch (dpi). The original photo should be 2 x 2 inches in size. The maximum image size accepted will be 240 KB. Images should be taken directly facing the camera in front of a light-colored background. The face should cover between 50 % and 69 % of the height of the image.

Passport for the DV Lottery

Since 2019, in addition to your name, gender, place and date of birth, address, email address, education level, passport photo, marital status, number of children, and dates and passport photos of spouses and children, a passport number and passport expiration date had to be included in the application.

The requirement to possess a valid passport for the DV Lottery was dropped for participation beginning with DV-2024 in 2022, as a court declared it invalid due to a formal error. Reinstatement of the passport rule, while still possible at this time, is unlikely.

List your family members correctly

You must list your partner/spouse (if you are married) and all your children under 21 years on your DV Lottery application. Your spouse´s children must be listed too! Photos must be provided of all family members on the application!

This does not mean that all family members have to immigrate to the US. After winning, the principal applicant can decide who to take along or not! However, all family members must be listed on the initial DV Lottery application to avoid disqualification!

Safe and Secure DV Lottery Application

Fortunately enough, with the automated process offered by dvlottery.com and associated websites you do not need to worry about formalities.

The American Dream offers you an approved official Green Card submission and immigration consultancy service. We will check all your data and photos and submit your application to the US authorities in due form and time.

 

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The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is administered on an annual basis by the Department of State and conducted under the terms of Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Section 131 of the Immigration Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-649) amended INA 203 to provide for a new class of immigrants known as "diversity immigrants" (DV immigrants). The Act makes available 50,000 permanent resident visas annually to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

From the State Department: "Alien petitioners for the Diversity Visa Program will no longer be permitted to submit a petition by mail. Instead, the Department will require that all petitions be submitted to it in an electronic format, using an Internet website dedicated specifically to the submission and receipt of Diversity Visa."