The Diversity Immigrant Visa program (the DV Program) is a program to diversify the immigrant population within the United States by mostly selecting applicants from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. The DV Program is administered annually and the 2016 DV Program opens October 1, 2014, the start of the U.S. government’s 2014-2015 fiscal year. Accordingly, the DV Program will begin allowing submissions online at https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/.

The 2016 DV Program provides for a maximum of 50,000 diversity visas. For the 2016 DV Program, individuals from the following countries are not eligible to apply: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam. Individuals from these countries are ineligible because more than 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the U.S. in the previous five years.…

Continue Reading State Department Publishes Notice of 2016 Diversity Visa Lottery