What’s Happening
Registration for the 2025 fiscal year’s (FY 2025) Diversity Visa Lottery opens October 4, 2023 at 12 noon ET and closes at 12 noon ET on November 7, 2023. During this window, the State Department will be accepting online registrations for the Diversity Visa Lottery.
Overview of the DV Lottery
The Diversity Visa Lottery makes a limited number of green cards available every year to eligible individuals born in countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S. For FY 2025, up to 55,000 Diversity Visas will be made available through random selection. Every year, the State Department publishes a list of eligible and ineligible countries in the Diversity Visa program instructions. The State Department’s official instructions for the FY 2025 Diversity Visa Lottery can be found here.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Diversity Visa Lottery, an applicant must be born in an eligible country and must meet the education/work requirement outlined below.
Eligible Countries
There was only one change from last year to the list of eligible countries: the FY 2025 list includes the United Kingdom and its dependent territories.
For the FY 2025 Diversity Visa Lottery, those born in the following countries are ineligible: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including mainland and Hong Kong), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
Natives of all other countries are eligible, including the United Kingdom and its dependent territories, Macau SAR, and Taiwan.
Those who were not born in an eligible country, but whose spouse or parents were, may still be able to qualify under certain circumstances.
Education/Work Requirement
To qualify for the Diversity Visa Lottery, an applicant must have either:
At least a high school education or its equivalent; or
Two years of qualifying work experience within the past five years.
How to Register
To register for the program, applicants must apply online through the State Department’s official Diversity Program Lottery website during the registration period. There is no cost to register. Applicants must precisely follow the State Department’s official instructions, and failing to do so will result in disqualification. Note that only one entry is permitted per person, and that if there are multiple entries for one person, all of that person’s entries will be disqualified. Applicants should register as soon as possible, as there may be website delays toward the end of the registration period.
Results
The State Department will publish the results of the FY 2025 Diversity Visa Lottery starting May 4, 2024 on the official Diversity Visa status check website, which will be available May 4, 2024 through at least September 30, 2025. The only way for applicants to check their results is by visiting the official website; they will not be notified by letter, e-mail, or any other means.
Those selected may apply for their green card starting October 1, 2024 when their DV regional lottery rank number is shown on the Visa Bulletin.
Please note that the above is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific questions about registering for the Diversity Visa Lottery, please contact your team at D&S.