Green Card Lottery Application Period Opens

Online entry for the Diversity Visa (DV 2010) Lottery began at noon EDT on October 2, 2008, and will end at noon EST on December 1, 2008.  Up to 55,000 persons will be granted permanent resident status (immigrant visas or “green cards”) under the annual lottery program.  A computer-generated, random lottery drawing chooses the “winners” who can then proceed to complete the application process for a green card.

For DV-2010, natives of the following countries are not eligible to apply because the countries sent a total of more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the previous five years:  Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Peru, Poland, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam. Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are eligible.

Individuals wishing to apply or obtain more information should visit the U.S. State Department website.

Note: This article was published in the October 2008 issue of the Immigration eAuthority.