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Diversity Lottery
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery is a program administered by the Department
of State which allows applicants to apply for a chance to be randomly selected to
apply for permanent residence. Being selected is not a guarantee that one will
receive a green card; last year 111,000 people were selected but only 50,000 were
actually able to apply for permanent residence. DV lottery applicants must meet all
the same standards which apply to other applicants; they must be "in status" or
grandfathered under 245(i) and must be otherwise admissable to the United States.
In order to be eligible to participate in the DV lottery, applicants may not be born
in or chargeable to a country with a high admission rate. For this year's lottery,
Canada, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico,
Pakistan, The Philippines, Russia, South Korea and the United Kingdom, except Northern
Ireland) have been designated high admission countries.
In addition, the principal applicant must have a high school education or the equivalent
or must have two years of work experience in a "skilled" position within the previous five years.
The spouse and family of applicants are allowed to immigrate with the principal; they do not need
to have any specific education or work experience and may be from a high admission state.
Beginning in 2003, DV applications must now be submitted on-line along with digital photographs.
The 2006 DV lottery application period begins on November 5, 2004 and ends on January 7, 2005.
Applicants who are selected may not apply for permanent residence until the following October,
and must have received their permanent residence by September 30.
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