Requirements

• There are two requirements a person must meet before he or she is able to apply for a diversity visa. The person must be a native citizen of a country that is eligible to apply for diversity visas. For example, a person born in Canada is ineligible to apply for a diversity visa because Canada is not on the list of eligible countries. Canada has sent more than 50,000 immigrants to America within the last five years. In addition, a person must be a high school graduate or have two years of work experience in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience to do.
  
  

How to Apply

• All prospective immigrants for the diversity visa program must submit Form DS-5501, the Electronic Diversity Visa Entry Form, online through the Department of State website. Each applicant must upload a digital photo. Digital photos must also be uploaded for the applicant's spouse and every unmarried child under the age of 21.
  
  

Time Frame

• Applications for the Diversity Visa Program are accepted for a two-month open registration period each year. The period runs from the first week of October through the last week of November.
  
  

Selection

• The names of all qualified applicants are randomly selected by a computer. Successful applicants are notified between May and July each year.
  
  

Considerations

• The Department of State requests that applicants not wait until the last minute to file their applications due to heavy online demand. No paper applications are accepted.
  
  

Warnings

• The Department of State cautions applicants to apply for a visa without the assistance of agents or consultants. Many of these unscrupulous agents will try to exchange an applicant's status information for money.