The best part about the green card lottery is that there are very few requirements necessary to apply, so you should apply as soon as possible!. However, they are quite strict and the Department of State recommends that you not apply unless you meet these requirements. First you must be from an eligible country to apply and second you need to meet either an educational or occupational standard in order to be considered for the green card lottery. Be sure to have these requirements completely met otherwise your application will be simply rejected and you will have to wait until next year.
Qualifying Countries for the Green Card Lottery
There are many countries in the world and there are significantly more eligible countries than ineligible ones, so here we will list the ones that are ineligible. Just because you are from one of these countries does not mean you have to claim it on your form find a blog about eligible claimable countries on our site.
| Bangladesh | Brazil | Canada | China (Mainland) |
| Colombia | Dominican Rep. | Ecuador | El Salvador |
| Guatemala | Haiti | India | Jamaica |
| Mexico | Pakistan | Peru | Philippines |
| South Korea | U.K. (Except North Ireland | Dependent territories of the U.K. | Vietnam |
Educational and Occupational Requirements for the Green Card Lottery
In order to qualify for a visa through the green card lottery you must either have at least a high school degree or two years of experience in an occupation that took two years of training to learn. Your education must be a part of a formal course of study where you have completed primary and secondary school. GEDs or other certificates do not meet this requirement. If you wish to claim your occupation as proof of your education and work experience you should check with the Department of Labor about how much experience is expected of you depending upon your profession. Generally you will need two years of training and two years of work experience within the past five years to meet this requirement.