Green Card Lottery

Lottery Q & A

1. What is the 2006 Green Card Lottery?

The US congress authorizes every year the allotment of 55,000 permanent resident status visas (green cards) through a computer generated lottery drawing to those who find it difficult to emigrate to the United States through other channels. Permanent Resident Status gives you and your family the legal right to work and live permanently in the United States.

2. What are the requirements to enter the Lottery program?

You must only meet two requirements to be eligible: a. You must be a native of a qualifying country b. You must have a high school education or experience in an occupation requiring at least two years of training. Qualifying country: Each year, the US State Department calculates the number of permanent residency visas that were previously allocated to each country. Based on these calculations, the US immigration Service chooses which countries can participate in this year's lottery. In most cases, as long as you are born in one of the eligible country, you can apply.

Education or Training Requirements: a. Applicants must have either a High School Diploma (or equivalent to a US High school education) b. Or two years of work experience within an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience.

3. Which countries are not eligible?

Eligibility is determined by country of birth. Persons born in China, Taiwan, India, the Philippines, South Korea, Pakistan, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, Poland, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, El Salvador, or Jamaica are ineligible, regardless of their country of citizenship or the country in which their parents were born. Persons born in all other countries - including Northern Ireland and Hong Kong - are eligible.

4. Is my current place of residence important for the lottery?

NO. The applicant's place of residence (where you live) is irrelevant. You can apply either from overseas or you can apply from within the United States.

5.Can undocumented people already living in the United States still apply?

YES. However the 3 year and the 10 year bar on admission of the 1996 US immigration law may apply. If you have been out of status for an extended period of time and if you are selected, it is recommended that you seek legal advice prior to applying for adjustment of status to permanent resident. (Section 245 of the INA).

6.What is the selection process?

Applicants are selected from a random computer generated lottery drawing. The Diversity Immigrant program apportions visa issuance among six geographic zones: (Africa, Asia, Europe, North America (other than Mexico), Oceania, and South America (including Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean). Each of one these six regions are divided into high and low admission quotas. A greater portion of the visas go to the low admission regions as opposed to high admission regions which will be entirely excluded from the lottery. (see list of countries which are not eligible). No single country may receive more than 7% of all allotted visas.

7.Can a person already registered for an immigrant visa in another category still apply for the 2006 program?

YES. There are no restrictions to enter the Lottery.

8. Can applicants be a native of a country which is not eligible?

YES. Under the provisions of Section 202(b) of the US immigration and Nationality Act, in the following cases: Case 1: The applicant can be "charged to" the country of birth of his/her spouse, if he or she was born in an ineligible country but his/her spouse was born in an eligible country. Case 2: If an applicant was born in country which is not eligible but neither parents were born there, he/she may "be charged" or claim nativity in one of the parents' country of birth.

9. May a Husband and a Wife each submit a separate entry?

YES. If otherwise qualified, a husband and a wife may each submit one entry. If either is selected, the other would be entitled to derivative status. However, husbands and wives may not sign for each other. Each one must sign his or her own entry.

10. May applicants submit more than one applications to increase their chances of winning?

NO. If the name of ONE SINGLE APPLICANT (First AND middle AND Last Name all together) appears more than once in the database, the applicant will be disqualified. There are no other ways to increase your chances of winning, the process is a computer generated Lottery drawing.