This years Green Card Lottery, the DV-2021 Diversity Visa Lottery is open to all individuals world-wide until November 8, 2019. Any applicant that wishes to enter this immigration program must first pass two basic immigration entry requirements:

1. DV2021 applicants must be native of a Qualifying Country to Enter the Green Card Lottery

Before any applicant can enter the DV-2021 Green Card Lottery they must be born in a qualifying country. Qualifying countries are defines as countries with low immigration rates to the US. If an applicant was born in a county with a high US immigration rate they would be excluded from the DV Lottery. Below is a list that details the countries whose natives are currently excluded from participating in the Green Card Lottery. Eligibility is sole determined by country of birth, not by country of citizenship or country of residence. This is the most common misconception and will get you disqualified. As the list of qualifying countries changes each year, check back every year to see if your country might qualify next year.

If you are a native of one of the following countries, then you are excluded from entering the DV2021 Green Card Lottery program this year:

Bangladesh
Brazil
Canada
China (mainland only)
Colombia
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Haiti
India
Jamaica
Mexico
Nigeria
Pakistan
Peru
Philippines
South Korea
United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland)
Vietnam

Note that United Kingdom includes the following dependent areas: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena, and Turks and Caicos Islands. Northern Ireland does qualify.

Persons born in the Gaza Strip are chargeable to Egypt for the DV2021 Green Card Lottery this year.
Persons born in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan are also eligible to enter the DV2021 Lottery.

Natives from all other countries may register for the DV2021 Green Card Lottery.

Be Aware that you may still qualify even if you were born in a non-qualifying country

Applicants that were born in a none-qualifying country may still be able to enter the DV2021 Green Card Lottery based on the native country of their parents or spouse:

Example, if you were born in a none qualifying country, but the you spouse was born in a qualifying country, then you can claim your spouse’s country of birth as your country of eligibility. I.e. you may claim chargeability to the country where your spouse was born, provided that both you and your spouse are on the selected DV2021 lottery application. In such cases, you will not be issued a diversity visa green card unless

your spouse also is eligible for and issued a DV green card,
and both you and your spouse enter the United States together with your diversity visa green cards.

Example: Let’s assume that you were born in India, where natives born in India do not qualify to enter the DV2021 lottery. Let’s assume your spouse was born in Spain, a country whose natives do qualify to enter the green card lottery, then you can claim your spouse’s country of birth (Spain) as your country of eligibility as long as you also include your spouse on your DV2021 lottery application.

Note that a minor dependent child can be “charged” to its parent’s country of birth in a similar manner.

Another exception is, if you were born in a none qualifying country, you can still be “charged” to either of your parents country of birth, of as long as neither of your parents were a resident of the country of your birth at the time of your birth. In general, people are not considered residents of a country in which they were not born or legally naturalized, your parents might have lived only temporarily in the ineligible country because of their jobs. If you parents were only visiting the country, studying in the country temporarily, or just on behalf of a company or government stationed in the country for business or professional reasons, they would not be considered residence of the country when you were born.

If you claim chargeability to another country than your country of birth, then you must clearly indicate that information on your Green Card Lottery entry form that must be completed after you have registered successfully, under the country of Eligibility. Be aware, if you list an incorrect country of eligibility or chargeability (i.e. one to which you cannot establish a valid claim) you may disqualify your entire application and everyone one it.

2. DV-2021 Education or Work experience that will qualify you

To enter the DV2021 immigration visa program, you must meet at lease one of the two requirements listed below (Option 1 or Option 2):

OPTION 1:

To qualify for the DV2021 Lottery, an applicant must have completed a US High School degree or a foreign equivalent of US High School degree “High School Degree or its equivalent” means the successful completion of at least 12 year course of elementary and secondary education in the US or successful completion in another country of a formal course of elementary and secondary education comparable to complete a 12 year education in the U.S. Passage of a high school equivalency examination is not sufficient. It is permissible to have completed one’s education in less than 12 years or greater than 12 years if the course of study completed is equivalent to a US High School Degree; or

OPTION 2:

To qualify for the DV2021 Lottery, an applicant must have worked in at least one of the following occupations for at least 2 years within the last 5 years:

Click here to view allthe qualifying DV2021 jobs

Applicants should not to submit proof that they satisfy these requirements when registering for the DV2021 Lottery, but proof must be provided and will be required by a consular officer when the applicant formally applies for the permanent residence visa. If you do not meet these two basic requirements, you should not apply for the DV2021 Lottery as you will get disqualified if you do. You will be required to provide proof of your education, and/or your work experience and your country of birth after you have been selected. Of the same reason, you are not required to submit this information now in the registration form for the Green Card Lottery.