The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has announced that the online registration period for the 2013 Diversity Visa program (aka the Green Card Lottery) will be from Tuesday, October 4, 2011, at noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), and conclude on Wednesday, November 2, 2011, at noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST).  Registration information has not yet been released, but will be available on the DOS website in coming weeks. 

The Diversity Visa program issues up to 50,000 immigrant visas each fiscal year to persons from countries with low admissions to the United States during the previous five years. For the DV 2012 program, DOS received over 19 million entries for the 50,000 available immigrant visas.  The visas are distributed across six geographic regions with a maximum of seven percent available to persons born in any single country.  Principal applicants must provide proof of a high school education or its equivalent, or show two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience within the past five years. 

There is no fee to enter the DV lottery, but applications must be submitted during the entry window, and must be submitted electronically. 

© 1999-2012, Jackson & Hertogs - All rights reserved