The Diversity Visa Lottery 2015 will begin its registration period this year and winners of this particular drawing will be able to get their green cards as soon as 2015. This is a significantly shorter period of time for getting a green card than other pathways to permanent residency.
Eligibility
Eligibility for the Green Card Lottery does not change much from year to year however, there will be some modifications that will inevitably take effect.
In May of this year, 2013, the State Department will announce which countries will be ineligible for the Green Card Lottery this year. The countries are chosen based on the previous five years of immigration numbers. Countries that send large numbers of immigrants to the United States will be put on the list.
Most of the time participants would claim the country of their citizenship, but it is also possible for potential immigrants to claim the countries of origin of either their parents or spouses.
The education requirements will not change from year to year. Registrants will need to have either a high school level education or two years of experience in a job that required two years of training.
Registration
The State Department will not announce when the registration period will be for the DV-2015, but it is on a relatively predictable schedule and can be expected to occur sometime in October or November.
Registration is not the application for the green card, but rather the application to be included in the lottery drawing.
While the registration period is only open for about a month out of the year, with USAGreenCardLottery.org anyone can apply any time of the year and we will ensure that the application is entered as soon as the registration period opens.
When the registration application is finished, applicants will be presented with a confirmation number. This number is extremely important and should be kept safe. It is suggested that registrants keep it with their other valuables.
Though it may be tempting to apply for the Green Card Lottery twice in an effort to double one’s chances, it is incredibly important that one does not do so. Any duplicate applications will be thrown out by the State Department reducing one’s chances to 0%.
Green Card Application
In May of the year following the registration period (likely to be May 1, 2014 for Diversity Visa 2015) registrants will be able to check their Green Card Lottery status online.
This is accomplished by the registrant logging onto the State Department’s Green Card Lottery website and entering their confirmation number into the designated field. The website will then return an answer for whether or not the applicant has won the Green Card Lottery.
If they have, they will then begin the process of applying for a permanent resident card in the United States. With this document immigrants have the right to live, work, study and travel in the United States indefinitely. They will also have the opportunity to become a citizen after a period of time.