How to play – and win – the American Visa Lottery

The American Visa lottery, also known as Green card Lottery or DV lottery is the American Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery. This lottery was created in 1990 by the Immigration Act of 1990 in the United States and it offers people from countries that have sent the lowest number of immigrants to the United States the opportunity to participate in a draw for 50,000 green cards. The winners are selected through a random pick (hence the name, lottery) across the different regions of the world.

How it works

After the entries are sent in, the US Department of State which supervises the Green Card lottery picks a random number of winners, usually more than 50,000. These winners are then screened against a list of criteria to eliminate criminals, mentally deficient individuals, individuals who are unable to support themselves financially in the United States and a host of other requirements. The Green cards are then awarded after this process.

This year, registration for the DV lottery, termed DV-2017, started October 1, 2015 and would end on November 3, 2015. A list is drawn every year of countries which are ineligible to participate in the lottery. This list is made up of countries which have sent the most immigrants in the past five year. For DV-2017, Nigeria falls into the ineligible list. However, a new list would be drawn up next year, and chances are we might not find Nigeria in it as well.

So, here are some of the dos and don’ts if you want to win the American Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery in 2016.

Apply online

Since DV-2005, the DV lottery is strictly online. Paper entries are not allowed or eligible. Any agency offering to send your DV application to the American Department of State via mail, is fraudulent and should not be dealt with. Application is only through the United States Department of State website.

Register early

Due to the rush at the last week of registration, it is always advisable to fill out the form on time. Filling late would only result in you suffering the slow network and website delays characteristic of late registration. A lot of people are registering for this lottery, so the earlier you register, the better for you.

Fill out the form completely

Failing to fill out the form completely would result in your entry being disqualified. Many entrants are surprised when after all the time and effort spent on the form, they get no favorable response in the end. This is likely due to a form disqualified because it was not filled completely.

Do not send in multiple entries

In many lotteries, entering a number of times is likely to guarantee you a higher chance of success. It’s the reverse in the American visa lottery. Using a host of technologies, the United States Department of State is able to sniff out entrants who have sent in more than one entry, and immediately disqualify them.

Doing things the right way is the best way to succeed and win in the DV lottery. Fill out your form and be factual in all your details. Visit the U.S. Department of State website at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ for more details.

To find a list of countries Nigerians can visit without a visa, click here.