When Will the Green Card Lottery Begin?

This year’s Green Card Lottery is called DV-2015. The DV-2013 is only available to those who registered in 2011 and 2013 is the last year that they can apply for an immigration visa to the United States.

Currently, the State Department (the government organization for the Green Card Lottery) has not announced when the lottery will begin. However, it is very likely that the lottery registration period will take place in October and November of 2013.

This means that potential immigrants should prepare for the lottery in any way that they can so that they can be prepared for the eventual beginning of the lottery.

Below are some essential pieces of information for those looking to join the Green Card Lottery this year.

It’s an Online Program

The Green Card Lottery is almost entirely done online. The only stage in which the mail gets involved is when a winner receives a visa package.

The registration process, arguably the most important part of the lottery, is entirely done online. The photos to be submitted for the application must be electronically submitted.

A Few Requirements

There are relatively few requirements for entry into the Green Card Lottery.

  1. Applicants must have either a high school degree or two years of experience in a job that took two years to train for.
  2. Applicants must also be from an eligible country. This list of designated countries is to be released at the same time as the dates for the registration period.

Those are the only requirements for the registration process for the Diversity Visa Lottery.

Timely Visa Application

After a registrant wins the green card lottery, they will be sent a visa application from the Kentucky Consular Center.

It is very important for applicants to be prompt in the submittal of their immigrant visa application. There are only 50,000 visas to be given out in a particular lottery season. While this may appear to be a large number, it should be noted that at least ten million people register for the lottery every year!

If one waits until 2015 to file their application for a immigration visa (2015 being the last year that registrants of the 2013 registration period can apply for a visa) the chances of getting a visa are slim.

Chances of Winning

As mentioned above, there are only 50,000 Green Cards given out in a lottery per year. Since there are so many people who apply, this greatly reduces the chances of winning the Green Card Lottery.

However, winning is still possible! Below are some factors that affect the chances of winning:

  • Region. No one country is to get more than 7% of the total winners.
  • Multiple registrations.  Immigrants who register more than once will be automatically disqualified.
  • Financial stability. Green Card Lottery winners are expected to have sufficient funds to support themselves in the United States as they look for a job. Winners can be potentially sent home if they cannot support themselves or their families in the U.S.