Green Card Lottery - Eligibility

To be eligible for the Diversity Visa (DV) program, also known as the Green Card Lottery, you must be born in a qualifying country and meet certain education or work experience criteria.

Country of birth

Each year the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services identifies the countries whose natives will be ineligible for the annual Green Card Lottery. Unfortunately, if you were born in one of the following countries that are not currently eligible, you cannot apply for a DV Green Card: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its territories, Venezuela, Vietnam.

There are however exceptions to this rule :

If your spouse was born in a country that can actively participate.
If you were born in an excluded country, you may still be eligible if both of your parents stayed there only temporarily (example: for studies or work). In this case, both parents must have been born in a country that is eligible.

Qualifications

If you were born in one of the currently eligible countries and you meet at least one of the following requirements you may participate in the Green Card Lottery. The Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program requires you to have a high school education, or its equivalent, or two years of qualifying work experience as defined under U.S. law.

High School Education: A high school education means the successful completion of a formal course of elementary and secondary education comparable to a 12-year course in the United States.
Work Experience: If you are qualifying with work experience, you must have two years of experience in the last five years, in an occupation which requires at least two years of training or experience.

Minimum Age

The minimum age to apply for a Green Card is 18 years. However applying at the age of 17 is possible if you meet the education or work experience requirements.

Tip

Are you a passionate traveller dreaming of a life in the USA? The Green Card allows non-Americans to live, work, and study in the United States permanently.

Each year up to 55,000 Green Cards will be given out by the Department of State to a random selection of Green Card Lottery applicants. Use your chance of winning a Green Card in the Green Card Lottery!

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Language requirements

There are no language requirements to apply for a Green Card. However we would always recommend to have a sufficient ability to speak, write and understand English if you are planning to become a permanet resident in the United States.