Every year, the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program provides the opportunity for individuals to submit an entry to be chosen for the possibility of applying for legal permanent residence. Fifty-five thousand (55,000) visas are available for fiscal year 2025 for individuals from eligible countries (countries with low immigration rates within the last 5 years).
Each year, the U.S. Department of State allows a specific period for interested individuals to submit their entries. For those individuals interested in submitting an entry for the 2025 fiscal year, the entry period runs from 12:00 noon Eastern Daylight Time, Wednesday, October 4, 2023, through 12:00 noon Eastern Daylight Time, Tuesday, November 7, 2023.
To be eligible to submit an entry, the following requirements must be met:
- The individual must be a native of an eligible country: A list of eligible countries is available at the US Department of State website. The following countries are NOT eligible: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland and Hong Kong born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
- The individual must have completed a high school education or its equivalent OR have two (2) years of work experience within the past five (5) years in an occupation requiring at least two (2) years of training or experience to perform.
Individuals that meet the above requirements and wish to submit an entry, should keep in mind the following:
- Only electronic entries will be accepted: The application needs to be completed and submitted at https://dvprogram.state.gov/:
- Only ONE entry can be submitted per individual: Individuals who submit more than one entry will be disqualified;
- There is no cost to submit an entry, however, if selected, immigration related fees will be applicable;
- No notice will be sent to individuals regarding selection: Individuals need to check their status online starting May 4, 2024, at https://dvprogram.state.gov/
- The entire process, including issuance of the visa, needs to be completed by September 30, 2025; and,
- Selection does not guarantee the issuance of a visa since the individual must meet admissibility requirements and more individuals are selected than visas are available.
