Processing diversity visa applications for visa lottery and processing of Permanent Residence applications for those who were selected as visa lottery recipients. The Diversity Immigrant Visa program is a United States congressionally mandated lottery program for receiving a United States Permanent Resident Card. It is also known as the Green Card Lottery. The lottery 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 lottery makes available 50,000 permanent resident visas annually to natives of countries deemed to have low rates of immigration to the United States.
To enter the lottery, applicants must have been born in an eligible country. If selected, to qualify for the immigrant visa, they must have completed at least a high school education or at least two years of work experience in an occupation which requires at least two other years of training or experience. They must also satisfy general immigration requirements, such as means of support, no criminal background, and good health.
Eligibility is determined by the applicant’s country of birth. In some cases the applicant may use a parent’s or spouse’s country of birth instead. The country of residence or nationality is irrelevant