Published on October 2, 2018
Now accepting applications from October 3, 2018 through November 6, 2018.
50,000 permanent residency visas become available each year for those who have completed the equivalent of a U.S. high school education, or have worked for at least two years within the last five in a qualifying occupation and were born in countries with less than 50,000 immigrant visas issued in the last five years. Once chosen, successful applicants need to respond quickly.
DV-2019 Lottery Program:
For those who filed an application online for last year’s Diversity Lottery you may check online to see if you were selected in the lottery. The Department of State does not send successful applicants notifications or letters by regular postal mail or by e-mail. Any email communication the successful applicant receives from the Department of State will direct him/her to review Entrant Status Check for new information about his/her application. The State Department has indicated that additional winners may be selected after the initial selection.
DV-2020 Lottery Program:
The State Department will open up the DV-2020 Lottery starting on Wednesday, October 3, 2018 and it will end on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. The official website is www.dvlottery.state.gov. Do not wait until the very last week because the system will be over loaded and you may not be able file your application.
Persons who were born in the following countries are not eligible to enter:
Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.
Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible, along with those born in countries not listed above.
Please contact the immigration attorneys at Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland should you need any assistance with your Diversity Lottery application.
Joel Paget can be reached at [email protected].
Jen Chen can be reached at [email protected].
Marsha Mavunkel can be reached at [email protected].
Amy Royalty can be reached at [email protected].
Janet Cheetham can be reached at [email protected].
Cody Nunn can be reached at [email protected]
This message has been released by the Immigration Group at Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC to advise of recent developments in the law. Because each situation is different, this information is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice on any specific facts and circumstances. Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC is a full-service law firm located in Seattle, Washington.
