Reminder: FY 2022 Diversity Visa Lottery Registration Ends November 10

A closer look

Registration for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery ends on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at noon EST. Foreign nationals who wish to register for the FY 2022 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.

For FY 2022, the U.S. Department of State DV lottery program will make at least 55,000 green card numbers available through random selection. Foreign nationals selected in the lottery will be eligible to submit a green card application during the 2022 fiscal year, which begins on October 1, 2021.

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 (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.
  • People born in Macau SAR and Taiwan can participate.
  • Those 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 8, 2021 through September 30, 2022, on the official DV lottery entry status website.

Foreign nationals can learn whether they were selected only by visiting the official DV 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 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.