Reminder: FY 2020 Diversity Visa Lottery Registration Ends November 6

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At a glance

• Entrants have until Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at noon EST to register online at the State Department’s official lottery website.
• Lottery applications must conform to the State Department’s strict requirements.

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The situation

Registration for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery ends on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at noon EST. Foreign nationals who wish to register for the FY 2020 DV lottery must submit their online registration forms and accompanying digital photos by that time. Applicants must carefully follow the State Department's official lottery instructions to avoid having their registration disqualified.

Each year, the U.S. Department of State makes available 50,000 immigrant visas available through the DV lottery. Foreign nationals selected in this year’s lottery will be eligible to submit a green card application during the 2020 fiscal year, which begins on October 1, 2019.

Who is eligible to enter the lottery?

• The DV lottery is open to natives of countries that have historically low rates of immigration to the United States.
• Individuals from countries with high rates of U.S. immigration are not eligible to register.
  • This year, those born in the following countries are ineligible: 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.
  • People born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan can participate.
  • Those people who cannot register because their country of birth is excluded may be able to qualify through a spouse who was born in an eligible country or, in certain circumstances, through a parent’s country of birth.
• Entrants must have a high school education (or equivalent) or at least two years of qualifying work experience.

How lottery winners are chosen and notified

The State Department chooses lottery winners by random computer selection. Results will be published starting May 7, 2019 through at least September 30, 2020, on the official DV lottery entry status website.

Foreign nationals can learn whether they were selected only by visiting the official website and entering their confirmation number. The State Department does not notify entrants by letter, e-mail, fax or telephone. The official website is the only legitimate source of lottery results.

Guarding against DV lottery fraud

Fraudulent DV lottery websites are common, but foreign nationals can and should take a few precautions to protect themselves. Learn more about DV lottery fraud by visiting the websites of the State Department and the Federal Trade Commission.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions about the DV lottery, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.